Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) Receives “Sell” Rating from Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN)‘s stock had its “sell” rating restated by investment analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft in a report released on Thursday,MarketScreener reports.

AZN has been the subject of several other research reports. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Barclays raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of AZN stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $187.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 314,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,613,515. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $290.83 billion, a PE ratio of 28.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $191.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.58. Astrazeneca has a 12-month low of $137.23 and a 12-month high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Astrazeneca will post 10.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astrazeneca

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Amundi lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 146,574.4% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,034,456,000 after purchasing an additional 15,375,659 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 889.9% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,319,947,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 208.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,048,417,000 after purchasing an additional 7,021,126 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,202,714,000. Finally, SEB Asset Management AB bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,157,593,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.