AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Now Covered by Analysts at BNP Paribas

Analysts at BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage set an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas’ target price indicates a potential upside of 11.09% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $86.80.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded down $0.50 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.51. The company had a trading volume of 3,136,269 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,241,948. The firm has a market cap of $209.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $73.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. AstraZeneca has a fifty-two week low of $61.24 and a fifty-two week high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949 shares in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 143,973 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,433,000 after purchasing an additional 7,341 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 53,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,508,000 after purchasing an additional 5,569 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.