AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Shares Sold by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 280,564 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,253 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $21,525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 144.0% in the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.75.

Key Headlines Impacting AstraZeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting AstraZeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca announced a $15 billion investment plan in China through 2030 to expand manufacturing and R&D, signaling a major commitment to China growth and capacity that could boost long‑term sales and local partnerships. AstraZeneca sets out $15 billion China investment during Starmer visit
• Positive Sentiment: China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical signed a deal with AstraZeneca to develop long‑acting peptide medicines for obesity/weight‑related conditions — strengthens AZN’s obesity pipeline and a China commercialization route. China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical inks deal with AstraZeneca for weight loss therapy
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup initiated coverage of AZN with a Buy recommendation — an analyst catalyst that can support demand for the ADR among institutional investors. Citigroup initiates coverage of AstraZeneca PLC – depositary receipt (AZN) with buy recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America Securities also initiated a Buy rating on AZN, adding further sell‑side support. Bank of America Securities Initiates a Buy Rating on AstraZeneca (AZN)
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca expanded academic collaboration with the University of Virginia to accelerate pre‑clinical innovation, supporting pipeline discovery and future R&D productivity. University of Virginia Signs Master Research Collaboration Agreement with AstraZeneca to Accelerate Pre-Clinical Innovation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces are reassessing AZN valuation after mixed recent share performance — useful context but not a direct catalyst. Assessing AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN) Valuation After Mixed Recent Share Price Performance
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of PM Keir Starmer’s China trip notes AstraZeneca as part of the UK delegation — political/diplomatic context that underpinned the China investment announcement. Airbus, AstraZeneca and HSBC executives join UK’s Starmer on high-stakes China trip
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data for January appears inconsistent/insignificant (zeros/NaN) and doesn’t provide a clear signal about bearish positioning at this time.

AstraZeneca Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of AZN opened at $92.59 on Friday. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $61.24 and a 52-week high of $96.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $92.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.14. The company has a market capitalization of $287.20 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.34.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.08 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.