AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) Earns Buy Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group reiterated its “buy” rating on AstraZeneca and maintained a £175 price target, implying approximately 40% upside from the stock’s £125 opening price.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: six analysts rate AstraZeneca a Buy and one rates it a Hold, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of £153.57.
• AstraZeneca’s shares have traded between £114.04 and £157.32 over the past year, while insider Michel Demare purchased 2,500 shares for approximately £303,025.

AstraZeneca (LON:AZN - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reiterated by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Digital Look reports. They currently have a £175 price objective on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 40.00% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on AZN. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a £145 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Citigroup increased their price target on AstraZeneca from £175 to £178 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a £117 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Finally, Berenberg Bank restated a "buy" rating and set a £175 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of £153.57.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at £125 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of £193.86 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.20. The company's 50-day moving average is £121.01 and its 200-day moving average is £131.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 64.10, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.59. AstraZeneca has a 1 year low of £114.04 and a 1 year high of £157.32.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Michel Demare acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of £121.21 per share, for a total transaction of £303,025. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZeneca.

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