Jefferies Financial Group Reaffirms Buy Rating for AstraZeneca (LON:AZN)

Key Points

• Jefferies reaffirmed its “Buy” rating on AstraZeneca and set a £175 price target, implying 45.57% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with six Buy ratings and one Hold rating; AstraZeneca has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target price of £153.57.
• AstraZeneca shares opened at £120.22, near their 12-month low of £119.20, 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 analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, Digital Look reports. They presently have a £175 price objective on the biopharmaceutical company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price indicates a potential upside of 45.57% from the company's current price.

AZN has been the topic of several other research reports. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a £175 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and issued a £117 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Citigroup boosted their target price on AstraZeneca from £175 to £178 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a £145 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of £153.57.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at £120.22 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day moving average is £120.93 and its 200-day moving average is £132.33. The stock has a market capitalization of £186.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.20. 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 12-month low of GBX 119.20 and a 12-month high of £157.32.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michel Demare purchased 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of £121.21 per share, for a total transaction of £303,025. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company 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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