AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Now Covered by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Equities researchers at Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage set an “overweight” rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on AZN. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $72.73 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.52. The stock has a market cap of $225.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.18, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca has a fifty-two week low of $60.47 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AZN. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 320.8% during the 3rd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 324 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AstraZeneca during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 608 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 22.9% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 543,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 101,225 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company’s marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.