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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Morgan Stanley sees huge upside at AstraZeneca

(Sharecast News) - Morgan Stanley has initiated coverage of pharma giant AstraZeneca with an 'overweight' rating, recommending investors to build positions at a "compelling entry point". The bank hailed AstraZeneca as an "innovation leader", saying that the company has an underappreciated pipeline with exposure to high-value markets across oncology, cardiovascular/renal and next-generation immuno-oncology.

"With pivotal clinical data starting in 2025+, success across these markets, could start to unlock value closer to our bull case valuation, £160/share," Morgan Stanley said. That compares with Tuesday's closing price of 11,624p.

As for the near term, 2025 should be a "catalyst-rich year", delivering double-digit bottom-line growth alongside continued strong product sales momentum, the bank said.

On Morgan Stanley's estimates, the stock trades at 15 times estimated earnings for 2025. While this is a 30% premium to other large-cap pharma peers, it is "justifiable given the superior top-line driven growth outlook [...] and significantly greater pipeline optionality," the bank said.

For now, Morgan Stanley has set a 14,500p target price for the shares, which were down 0.2% at 11,606p by 1054 GMT.

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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