Astrazeneca (AZN) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors

In the latest trading session, Astrazeneca (AZN) closed at $75.05, marking a -1.12% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.03%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.61%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.56%.The pharmaceutical's stock has dropped by 2.92% in the past month, exceeding the Medical sector's loss of 4.4% and lagging the S&P 500's gain of 1.39%.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 $1.03 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 18.39%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $13.17 billion, up 14.57% from the year-ago period.For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $4.07 per share and revenue of $52.76 billion, which would represent changes of +12.12% and +15.17%, respectively, from the prior year.Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Astrazeneca. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.35% upward. As of now, Astrazeneca holds a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).Investors should also note Astrazeneca's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 18.67. This represents a premium compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 15.74.Also, we should mention that AZN has a PEG ratio of 1.4. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. Large Cap Pharmaceuticals stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.58 based on yesterday's closing prices.The Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry is part of the Medical sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 34, this industry ranks in the top 14% of all industries, numbering over 250.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.Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.7% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AstraZeneca PLC (AZN): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks