Brokerages Set AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) PT at $89.75

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) has received an average rating of “Buy” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $89.75.

AZN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cibc World Markets Corp raised its position in AstraZeneca by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth 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. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the third quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 8,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $77.60 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $240.65 billion, a PE ratio of 34.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.41. AstraZeneca has a 12 month low of $62.75 and a 12 month high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $72.48.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 91.15%.

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.