Royal Bank of Canada Buys 7,021,126 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 208.6% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,021,126 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,048,417,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 2,789 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after buying an additional 11,690 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 54.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company’s stock worth $731,000 after buying an additional 3,618 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its position in Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,339,000 after buying an additional 30,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,259,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.00.

Key Astrazeneca News

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings beat expectations: AstraZeneca reported adjusted EPS of $2.63, above the $2.50 consensus estimate. Revenue rose 6.4% year over year to $15.38 billion, narrowly missing expectations, while oncology, cardiovascular and rare-disease medicines helped offset generic competition. AstraZeneca beats second-quarter profit expectations, holds outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year outlook maintained: Management backed its 2026 forecasts, helping reassure investors that strength in key growth franchises can offset weaker sales, product exclusivity pressure and challenges in China. AstraZeneca earnings beat forecasts despite slight revenue miss
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive: Citi raised its price target to 17,800 pence, citing AstraZeneca’s potential drug pipeline and long-term revenue ambitions. AstraZeneca’s drug pipeline is splitting opinion among City analysts
• Neutral Sentiment: Pricing strategy is changing: An executive said AstraZeneca is adjusting pricing for new U.S. drug launches in response to the Trump administration’s most-favoured-nation policy. The changes could affect future pricing and margins, but the financial impact remains uncertain. AstraZeneca drug prices evolving in response to Trump policy
• Negative Sentiment: Pipeline setback adds pressure: Rare-disease drug Ultomiris failed to meet the main goal in a late-stage trial involving a blood-vessel complication after stem-cell transplantation, renewing concerns about AstraZeneca’s longer-term growth pipeline. AstraZeneca’s rare disease drug misses main goal in late-stage trial
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst views are divided: Deutsche Bank reiterated a “sell” rating with an 11,500-pence valuation, highlighting uncertainty around pipeline execution and future growth. In addition, Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential investor claims, which could create legal and reputational overhang. Pomerantz investor alert regarding AstraZeneca

Astrazeneca Stock Up 1.6%

Astrazeneca stock opened at $172.41 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $267.39 billion, a PE ratio of 25.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24. The company’s 50-day moving average is $180.02 and its 200-day moving average is $187.95. Astrazeneca Plc has a fifty-two week low of $145.14 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.95% and a net margin of 17.02%.Astrazeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Astrazeneca 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.