Astellas Pharma (OTCMKTS:ALPMY) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies upgraded Astellas Pharma from a "hold" to a "strong-buy," though the Street consensus remains a "Hold" with one Strong Buy and four Hold ratings.
• Astellas reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $0.44 EPS versus $0.29 expected and revenue of $3.67 billion versus $3.21 billion consensus, with a 23.6% return on equity and a 15.6% net margin.
• The stock trades on the OTC market with a market cap of about $28.9 billion and a P/E of 13.44, trading near recent highs in a 12‑month range of $8.37 to $16.95.

Astellas Pharma (OTCMKTS:ALPMY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of Astellas Pharma from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Smbc Nikko Sec. upgraded shares of Astellas Pharma to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Astellas Pharma Stock Performance

OTCMKTS:ALPMY opened at $15.99 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $28.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The business's 50-day moving average price is $15.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.15. Astellas Pharma has a twelve month low of $8.37 and a twelve month high of $16.95.

Astellas Pharma (OTCMKTS:ALPMY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.15. Astellas Pharma had a return on equity of 23.62% and a net margin of 15.63%.The company had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.21 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Astellas Pharma will post 0.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Astellas Pharma

Astellas Pharma Inc is a Tokyo-based, global pharmaceutical company traded in the United States as an American Depositary Receipt on the OTC Markets under the symbol ALPMY. The company focuses on discovering, developing and marketing prescription medicines in key therapeutic areas, including oncology, urology, immunology, neuroscience and cardiovascular/metabolic diseases. Astellas seeks to bring innovative treatments to market by combining internal research capabilities with external partnerships and collaborative agreements around the world.

Core products in Astellas' portfolio include the immunosuppressant Prograf (tacrolimus), the overactive bladder treatments Vesicare (solifenacin) and Myrbetriq (mirabegron), and the prostate cancer therapy Xtandi (enzalutamide).

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