AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Now Covered by Analysts at BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock.

AZN has been the subject of several other reports. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $86.80.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $67.54 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $73.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. AstraZeneca has a 12-month low of $61.24 and a 12-month high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $209.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.89, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%. On average, equities analysts expect that AstraZeneca will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 91.15%.

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Markets Corp raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 31.8% in the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Veery Capital LLC raised its position in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. Finally, Tiller Private Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. now owns 3,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company’s marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.