Amundi Raises Stock Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Amundi boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 146,574.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,386,149 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,375,659 shares during the period. Astrazeneca accounts for about 0.8% of Amundi's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Amundi owned about 0.99% of Astrazeneca worth $3,034,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter valued at $725,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV purchased a new stake in Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. ROI Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $258,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Astrazeneca by 208.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company's stock worth $2,048,417,000 after purchasing an additional 7,021,126 shares during the period. Finally, Evelyn Partners Investment Management Europe Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,273,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $172.41 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $180.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $187.95. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $145.14 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $267.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.95% and a net margin of 17.02%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.17 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

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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