D.A. Davidson & CO. Sells 7,410 Shares of AstraZeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson reduced its AstraZeneca position by 24.2% in the third quarter, selling 7,410 shares and retaining 23,209 shares valued at approximately $3.75 million.
• AstraZeneca exceeded third-quarter expectations, reporting $2.79 in EPS and $16.21 billion in revenue, driven largely by 17% growth in oncology sales. Management reaffirmed its 2026 guidance and highlighted more than $20 billion in potential pipeline opportunities.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $206.67, although generic competition affecting mature products such as Farxiga remains a risk.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lowered its position in AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,209 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,410 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $3,748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Amundi grew its position in AstraZeneca by 146,574.4% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company's stock worth $3,034,456,000 after buying an additional 15,375,659 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 889.9% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,319,947,000 after acquiring an additional 10,742,268 shares in the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 106,772.0% in the 1st quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,560,419,000 after acquiring an additional 8,047,406 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 208.6% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,048,417,000 after acquiring an additional 7,021,126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,202,714,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Key AstraZeneca News

Here are the key news stories impacting AstraZeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat expectations: Core EPS reached $2.79 versus the roughly $2.60 analyst consensus, while revenue increased about 7% year over year to $16.21 billion, topping estimates near $16 billion. Net profit rose to $3.12 billion from $2.54 billion a year earlier. AstraZeneca Stock Rallies on Q3 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Oncology remains the key growth engine: Cancer-drug sales rose 17%, helping offset generic competition and declining sales from mature medicines such as Farxiga. The performance suggests AstraZeneca’s newer products are mitigating patent-cliff pressure. AZN Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline catalysts support the longer-term story: Management highlighted more than $20 billion of potential from 2027 drug-trial readouts, while the company reported 12 positive Phase 3 readouts. These catalysts could expand AstraZeneca’s growth prospects beyond its current portfolio. AstraZeneca CEO Sees Over $20B Potential
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance was reaffirmed: AstraZeneca maintained its fiscal 2026 outlook for mid-to-high single-digit revenue growth and low-double-digit core EPS growth at constant exchange rates. The company also targeted $1.5 billion in annual savings, potentially supporting margins and earnings. AstraZeneca Reports Q3 Revenue Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain mixed: Guggenheim maintained a Buy rating, while Deutsche Bank retained Hold and Erste Group Bank lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate, indicating some valuation and execution concerns remain. Guggenheim Maintains Buy Rating
• Negative Sentiment: Generic competition remains a headwind: Farxiga and other mature products face pricing and volume pressure, which could limit growth if newer oncology and pipeline medicines do not continue to scale. AstraZeneca Holds Guidance

AstraZeneca Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE AZN opened at $186.49 on Monday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $164.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $180.21. AstraZeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $153.41 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $289.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.38, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.24.

AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $2.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.19. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.34% and a net margin of 17.68%. The firm had revenue of $16.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that AstraZeneca Plc will post 10.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on AZN shares. Wall Street Zen raised AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Nordea Equity Research raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $206.67.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The company discovers, develops and commercializes prescription medicines, with a focus on oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Its research and commercial operations serve patients and healthcare systems across more than 100 countries.

AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes medicines for cancer, respiratory and immune-mediated conditions, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, and rare disorders.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.