AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.01, Zacks reports. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 29.66%. The company had revenue of $12.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis.

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $78.13 on Friday. AstraZeneca has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $80.86. The stock has a market cap of $242.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company’s fifty day moving average is $78.54 and its 200-day moving average is $71.94.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be issued a $0.49 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on AZN. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Barclays upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of AstraZeneca to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.