Gabelli Funds LLC Sells 9,300 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its AstraZeneca stake by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 9,300 shares and leaving it with 63,000 shares valued at about $11.1 million.
• AstraZeneca received two notable FDA wins: Enhertu was approved in additional early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer settings, and Baxfendy (baxdrostat) was approved as the company’s first-in-class hypertension drug.
• The stock has a generally positive analyst outlook, with 12 Buy ratings and one Sell rating, and a consensus target price of $205.33, while the company recently beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates.

Gabelli Funds LLC decreased its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 63,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,300 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $11,056,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Luken Investment Analytics LLC lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Luken Investment Analytics LLC now owns 1,564 shares of the company's stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,887 shares of the company's stock worth $507,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the company's stock worth $609,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 3,358 shares of the company's stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 5,336 shares of the company's stock valued at $936,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. 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: AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo won FDA approval for Enhertu in two additional early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer settings, expanding the drug’s addressable market and strengthening the company’s oncology pipeline. AZN, Daiichi's Enhertu Gets FDA Nod for Two New Breast Cancer Settings
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA also approved Baxfendy (baxdrostat), AstraZeneca’s first-in-class hypertension drug, which could become a meaningful new growth driver in a large cardiovascular market and may support expectations for multibillion-dollar peak sales. AstraZeneca's blood pressure drug wins U.S. approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary on the FDA wins raised questions about valuation and the pace of long-term growth, suggesting investors may balance the near-term enthusiasm against execution and pricing concerns. AstraZeneca’s New FDA Wins Raise Questions On Growth And Valuation
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate for AstraZeneca to $10.17 from $10.25, though that remains close to the consensus of $10.26 and does not materially change the earnings outlook.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $184.69 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $191.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $182.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $286.44 billion, a PE ratio of 27.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a 1 year low of $137.23 and a 1 year high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.93 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Astrazeneca

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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