AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as £148.18 and last traded at £148.18, with a volume of 418815344 shares. The stock had previously closed at £141.64.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on AstraZeneca from £145 to £160 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Shore Capital Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from £105 to £110 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a £150 target price on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, November 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of £145.83.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of £229.72 billion, a PE ratio of 24.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.17. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is £137.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is £127.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 73.83, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Nazneen Rahman sold 297 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of £134.96, for a total transaction of £40,083.12. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

About AstraZeneca

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.