Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) Upgraded by Barclays to Buy Rating

Key Points

• Barclays upgraded AstraZeneca from "neutral" to a "buy" rating, reflecting renewed analyst support alongside other recent upgrades and reaffirmations.
• Market consensus remains positive with 11 Buy ratings and one Sell, a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.67.
• Mixed catalysts: AstraZeneca beat Q1 EPS and revenue expectations and reaffirmed guidance, but an FDA advisory panel voted against camizestrant for first‑line HR+ breast cancer, creating near‑term regulatory risk and recent share weakness.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Barclays from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a "buy (b)" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

NYSE:AZN traded down $1.58 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $185.79. 126,608 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,756,855. Astrazeneca has a 52-week low of $132.32 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $288.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.98 billion. Analysts expect that Astrazeneca will post 10.26 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AZN. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 93.2% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the 1st 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 lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 54.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company's stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 3,618 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 898.4% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,339,000 after acquiring an additional 30,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 1.2% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,259,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Astrazeneca News

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.

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