Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

AZN has been the topic of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday. Barclays raised shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $184.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $286.34 billion, a PE ratio of 31.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca has a 52 week low of $132.32 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $196.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $180.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $1.595 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s payout ratio is 73.43%.

Institutional Trading of Astrazeneca

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,942,000 after buying an additional 11,398 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Astrazeneca by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,595,000 after acquiring an additional 181,273 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 111.6% during the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,113,000 after acquiring an additional 35,148 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.4% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,298,000 after acquiring an additional 7,289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 96.2% in the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,953,000 after acquiring an additional 38,043 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded AZN from “neutral” to “buy”, citing favorable risk/reward at the current level which can support upside as late‑year pipeline readouts approach. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: DZ Bank also upgraded AZN to “buy”, adding analyst endorsement momentum that can help stabilize the stock after recent weakness. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised 2026 core EPS forecasts and reiterated a “buy” rating, highlighting the company’s Q1 beat and a pipeline-rich second half — a catalyst narrative that could support medium‑term upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Independent outlets (24/7 Wall St.) reiterated a bullish thesis, noting more than 20 Phase III readouts ahead and a price target implying meaningful upside — adds to longer‑term investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca exercised an option to license Pinetree’s EGFR degrader program (PTX‑299), triggering a $25M payment — a small near‑term cash outflow for potentially valuable oncology IP and collaboration upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: An FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 6‑3 against recommending camizestrant for a first‑line HR+ breast cancer setting, citing trial‑design/benefit‑risk concerns — this is the primary near‑term negative driver and increases regulatory risk for a key oncology asset. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank reaffirmed a “sell” rating, keeping a portion of the sell‑side negative pressure on the stock despite other upgrades. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY‑2026 EPS estimate slightly, a reminder that some analysts are tightening near‑term EPS assumptions even after the Q1 beat. 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.