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Astrazeneca (AZN) Dips More Than Broader Market: What You Should Know

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Astrazeneca (AZN - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $189.90, moving -1.35% from the previous trading session. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.61%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 0.26%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw a decrease of 0.93%.

Shares of the pharmaceutical witnessed a loss of 5.88% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Medical sector with its loss of 4.48%, and the S&P 500's loss of 2.25%.

The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Astrazeneca in its upcoming release. In that report, analysts expect Astrazeneca to post earnings of $2.5 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 0.81%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $14.81 billion, up 9.02% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $10.31 per share and revenue of $62.86 billion. These totals would mark changes of +12.55% and +7.01%, respectively, from last year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Astrazeneca should also be noted by investors. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the business operations and its ability to generate profits.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 1.11% higher. Astrazeneca currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, Astrazeneca is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 18.67. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 18.89, which means Astrazeneca is trading at a discount to the group.

One should further note that AZN currently holds a PEG ratio of 1.45. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry stood at 1.54 at the close of the market yesterday.

The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is part of the Medical sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 142, positioning it in the bottom 43% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the 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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