Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Moderate Buy consensus from 10 analysts (9 buys, 1 sell) with an average 12‑month price target of $95.75, notably below the stock's recent open around $186.90.
• Multiple institutional investors raised stakes in Q3—including TD Asset Management and CIBC—leaving institutions and hedge funds owning about 20.35% of the company.
• The company recently paid a dividend of $1.595 (ex‑dividend Feb 20); the article reports a dividend yield of 156.0% and a payout ratio of 74.83%.

Shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $95.75.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. HSBC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy (b)" rating on the stock. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AZN. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 21.5% during the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company's stock worth $4,942,000 after acquiring an additional 11,398 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 20.0% in the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,595,000 after acquiring an additional 181,273 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company's stock worth $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,289 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 111.6% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company's stock worth $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 35,148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 96.2% during the 3rd quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company's stock worth $5,953,000 after purchasing an additional 38,043 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

NYSE:AZN opened at $186.90 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $289.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.53, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.32. Astrazeneca has a 52-week low of $122.48 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca's payout ratio is presently 74.83%.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.

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