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Astrazeneca P L CAZNBUYOct 30, 2014Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 18, 2026. Market Open.
Allan Tong’s Discover Picks The AZN stock currently trades at a 64x PE and pays a not-bad 2.69% dividend yield. It's trending $7 below its $59.73 price target, and has declined slightly to June levels. However, its PE has tumbled to levels last seen in December 2019. Three analysts rate it a strong buy, one a buy and another a hold, unchanged since August. Read 3 Promising Diversified Coronavirus Vaccine Stocks Ahead of the Game: Fall Update for our full analysis.
Their Covid vaccine in progress For most of the large-cap pharmas he owns, the benefits of producing this vaccine won't benefit these companies as much as people think. That said, AZN has been executing very well in areas like oncology--a key driver for them. In May, AZN's vaccine was his front runner in this race. AZN (with Oxford University) did have a negative reaction during their recent phase 3 test, though, so there is a risk here. However AZN has resumed tests outside the U.S., so expect results a little later. So now Pfizer has become the front runner. He's looking for the safety profile of AZN's candidate. If their vaccine is a miss, there will be stock volatility, but also a buying opportunity. A great company.
Pfizer failed to acquire this company and the stock has dropped a lot. This trades at 14X earnings and has a great dividend yield and a great cash flow yield. Not expensive. Have some great things in their pipeline in the next little while, which will help the company out. Healthcare is a nice defensive area to be in if you are really worried about the stock market. (See Top Picks.)