New England Research & Management Inc. Buys New Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

New England Research & Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 7,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,234,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter valued at $71,603,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in Astrazeneca by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 139,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,188,000 after purchasing an additional 2,081 shares during the period. Banque Pictet & Cie SA lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 87.6% in the third quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 350,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,135,000 after purchasing an additional 163,549 shares during the last quarter. James T. Borello RIA lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 32.7% in the third quarter. James T. Borello RIA now owns 807 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 1.5% in the third quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 6,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,121,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. HSBC downgraded Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Nordea Equity Research raised Astrazeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, October 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.67.

Key Headlines Impacting Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI partnership expands pipeline potential: AstraZeneca agreed to collaborate with insitro on machine-learning-based drug discovery for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and cardiomyopathies. The deal could be worth up to $1.5 billion, including upfront and milestone payments plus royalties, giving AstraZeneca access to new potential therapies while spreading early-stage research risk. AstraZeneca Enters AI Drug Discovery Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive: RBC Capital Markets reiterated its “outperform” rating and 14,500-pence target, forecasting third-quarter revenue and core EPS modestly above consensus ahead of AstraZeneca’s October 30 results. Citi also raised its target to £186. RBC Keeps AstraZeneca at Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Potentially attractive valuation: A market commentary highlighted that AZN has declined more than 8% this year even though operating performance has remained relatively resilient. The article points to a forward price-to-earnings multiple of about 14.6 times as a possible long-term buying opportunity. AstraZeneca Valuation Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity surged: Investors purchased 49,737 call options, more than 14 times typical volume. This may signal bullish positioning, but options activity alone does not establish a fundamental change in the company’s outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst signal: Zacks Research upgraded AstraZeneca from “strong sell” to “hold,” indicating reduced pessimism but not a bullish recommendation. AZN is also being monitored for breast-cancer sales growth, expanded approvals and clinical milestones.
• Negative Sentiment: Underperformance remains an overhang: AstraZeneca continues to lag the broader market, and investors may be waiting for upcoming earnings and the AVANZAR lung-cancer trial before assigning greater value to its pipeline.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE AZN traded down $1.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $165.23. The stock had a trading volume of 3,457,680 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,787,129. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.89. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $153.41 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $162.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $176.23. The firm has a market cap of $256.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.27.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.17 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Profile

AstraZeneca PLC is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Its research, development and commercial operations focus on prescription medicines for serious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on discovering and delivering innovative therapies rather than operating as a diversified healthcare conglomerate.

The company’s principal therapeutic areas include oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunological conditions; and rare diseases.