AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN) Stock Now Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Brokerages

Key Points

• AstraZeneca has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from seven brokerages, with six buys and one hold. The average 12-month price target is £153.57.
• Recent analyst targets range from £117 to £178, with Citigroup raising its target to £178 and Jefferies and Berenberg maintaining £175 targets.
• Shares opened at £127.92, below the 200-day moving average of £134.36, while the company has a £198.39 billion market capitalization and trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.15.

AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is £153.57.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from £175 to £178 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a £175 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a £175 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a £145 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and issued a £117 price target on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of LON AZN opened at £127.92 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 64.10, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The stock's fifty day moving average price is £122.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is £134.36. AstraZeneca has a one year low of £114.04 and a one year high of £157.32. The firm has a market cap of £198.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.21.

Insider Transactions at AstraZeneca

In other AstraZeneca news, insider Michel Demare purchased 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of £121.21 per share, for a total transaction of £303,025. Company insiders own 0.15% of the company's stock.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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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