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Here's Why Astrazeneca (AZN) Fell More Than Broader Market

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The latest trading session saw Astrazeneca (AZN - Free Report) ending at $69.18, denoting a -0.56% adjustment from its last day's close. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 0.07%.

Heading into today, shares of the pharmaceutical had gained 5.57% over the past month, lagging the Medical sector's gain of 7.37% and outpacing the S&P 500's gain of 3.98% in that time.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Astrazeneca in its forthcoming earnings report. In that report, analysts expect Astrazeneca to post earnings of $0.78 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 13.04%. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $12.08 billion, showing a 7.75% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Astrazeneca. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the company's business operations and its ability to generate profits.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.08% higher. Astrazeneca is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

With respect to valuation, Astrazeneca is currently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 16.64. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 14.73 for its industry.

One should further note that AZN currently holds a PEG ratio of 1.23. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.86.

The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 165, placing it within the bottom 35% of over 250 industries.

The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.


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