Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) Upgraded to Buy at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report published on Wednesday morning,MarketScreener reports.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on AZN. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:AZN traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $186.85. The stock had a trading volume of 218,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,757,192. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Astrazeneca has a one year low of $132.32 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $289.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.62, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.35.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.51 by $0.07. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 31.01%. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.98 billion. Analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca will post 10.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.43%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank raised its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the 4th quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: FDA panel backed AstraZeneca’s prostate cancer regimen, giving regulatory momentum to part of its oncology franchise — a near‑term positive for future approvals and revenues. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 results: AZN beat EPS and revenue expectations and reaffirmed 2026 guidance, supporting the company’s growth narrative driven by oncology and rare‑disease sales. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its 2026 core EPS forecast and kept a Buy rating, highlighting attractive risk/reward ahead of multiple second‑half pipeline readouts. Analyst support can help underpin the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: DZ Bank upgraded AZN from Neutral to Buy, adding institutional endorsement to the bullish view after the earnings beat. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca exercised its option to license Pinetree’s EGFR degrader program (PTX‑299), triggering a $25M payment and expanding its targeted‑degrader pipeline — a financing and pipeline positive. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly trimmed its FY2026 EPS estimate for AZN (from $10.44 to $10.30), a modest forecast tweak that reflects caution but is close to consensus. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The key negative: an FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 6–3 against recommending camizestrant for first‑line treatment in HR+ advanced breast cancer, citing trial‑design and benefit‑risk concerns — the vote has driven today’s share weakness and raises regulatory risk and potential delays for that indication. AstraZeneca says it will continue working with regulators. Read More.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global 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 positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.