Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) Stock Price Up 3.5% After Analyst Upgrade

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN)’s stock price was up 3.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Zacks Research upgraded the stock from a strong sell rating to a hold rating. The stock traded as high as $161.72 and last traded at $161.2070. Approximately 602,235 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 2,788,446 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.82.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on AZN. HSBC lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Nordea Equity Research upgraded Astrazeneca from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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 entered an exclusive worldwide research collaboration with insitro to identify therapies for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and cardiomyopathies. The deal will combine insitro’s machine-learning and high-throughput biology platforms with AstraZeneca’s drug-development capabilities. AstraZeneca will pay approximately $40 million upfront, while insitro could receive up to $1.5 billion in milestone payments plus tiered royalties if products reach commercialization. The agreement offers AstraZeneca access to potential new targets while limiting near-term financial exposure. AstraZeneca enters new strategic collaboration with insitro
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst remains bullish ahead of lung-cancer data: RBC Capital Markets maintained its “outperform” rating and 14,500 pence price target. RBC expects third-quarter revenue of $16.3 billion and core EPS of $2.61, modestly above consensus, while investors await the AVANZAR lung-cancer trial and AstraZeneca’s October 30 results. RBC keeps AstraZeneca at outperform ahead of AVANZAR lung cancer trial
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity signals increased speculative interest: Investors purchased 49,737 call options, approximately 1,415% above typical call volume. While options activity is not a fundamental indicator, the surge suggests heightened short-term bullish positioning or expectations of further catalysts.
• Neutral Sentiment: Rating change is modestly supportive: Zacks Research upgraded AstraZeneca from “strong sell” to “hold,” reducing a negative signal but stopping short of a bullish recommendation. Zacks upgrades AstraZeneca to hold

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Triumph Capital Management lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 32.6% in the 3rd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.9% during the third quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 2,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Veery Capital LLC lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 3.9% during the third quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 1,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC grew its position in Astrazeneca by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $344,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $258.46 billion, a PE ratio of 24.91, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $162.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $176.31.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The firm 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%. Astrazeneca’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

About Astrazeneca

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.