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Astrazeneca (AZN) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know
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The latest trading session saw Astrazeneca (AZN - Free Report) ending at $68.38, denoting a -0.58% adjustment from its last day's close. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.18%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.07%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.1%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the pharmaceutical had gained 8.3% over the past month. This has outpaced the Medical sector's gain of 6.12% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.75% in that time.
The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Astrazeneca in its upcoming release. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $0.74, reflecting a 7.25% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $12.09 billion, up 7.88% from the year-ago period.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Astrazeneca should also be noted by investors. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.
Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.12% lower. Astrazeneca presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
In terms of valuation, Astrazeneca is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 16.48. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 14.45 of its industry.
It's also important to note that AZN currently trades at a PEG ratio of 1.23. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. As the market closed yesterday, the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.86.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 160, this industry ranks in the bottom 37% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.
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Astrazeneca (AZN) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know
The latest trading session saw Astrazeneca (AZN - Free Report) ending at $68.38, denoting a -0.58% adjustment from its last day's close. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.18%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.07%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.1%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the pharmaceutical had gained 8.3% over the past month. This has outpaced the Medical sector's gain of 6.12% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.75% in that time.
The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Astrazeneca in its upcoming release. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $0.74, reflecting a 7.25% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $12.09 billion, up 7.88% from the year-ago period.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Astrazeneca should also be noted by investors. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.
Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.12% lower. Astrazeneca presently features a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
In terms of valuation, Astrazeneca is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 16.48. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 14.45 of its industry.
It's also important to note that AZN currently trades at a PEG ratio of 1.23. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. As the market closed yesterday, the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.86.
The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 160, this industry ranks in the bottom 37% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.