US Bancorp DE Acquires 16,922 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE boosted its AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) stake by 7.0% in Q4, buying 16,922 shares to hold 259,103 shares worth about $23.82 million.
• AstraZeneca posted a Q1 beat—EPS $2.58 vs $2.52 and revenue $15.29B vs $14.93B—and declared a $1.595 dividend (paid Mar 23); the stock trades near $184.63 with a market cap of roughly $286.3B and a P/E of 31.21.
• Mixed analyst and regulatory backdrop: several upgrades (Barclays, DZ Bank, Citi) support a "Moderate Buy" consensus and ~$205 average price target, but an FDA advisory panel voted against camizestrant in a first‑line breast cancer setting, creating notable near‑term regulatory risk.

US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 259,103 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,922 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE's holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $23,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,942,000 after acquiring an additional 11,398 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 20.0% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company's stock worth $83,595,000 after purchasing an additional 181,273 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 111.6% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 35,148 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.4% in the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 96.2% in the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,953,000 after purchasing an additional 38,043 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded AZN from "neutral" to "buy", citing favorable risk/reward at the current level which can support upside as late‑year pipeline readouts approach. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: DZ Bank also upgraded AZN to "buy", adding analyst endorsement momentum that can help stabilize the stock after recent weakness. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised 2026 core EPS forecasts and reiterated a "buy" rating, highlighting the company’s Q1 beat and a pipeline-rich second half — a catalyst narrative that could support medium‑term upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Independent outlets (24/7 Wall St.) reiterated a bullish thesis, noting more than 20 Phase III readouts ahead and a price target implying meaningful upside — adds to longer‑term investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca exercised an option to license Pinetree’s EGFR degrader program (PTX‑299), triggering a $25M payment — a small near‑term cash outflow for potentially valuable oncology IP and collaboration upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: An FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 6‑3 against recommending camizestrant for a first‑line HR+ breast cancer setting, citing trial‑design/benefit‑risk concerns — this is the primary near‑term negative driver and increases regulatory risk for a key oncology asset. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank reaffirmed a "sell" rating, keeping a portion of the sell‑side negative pressure on the stock despite other upgrades. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY‑2026 EPS estimate slightly, a reminder that some analysts are tightening near‑term EPS assumptions even after the Q1 beat. Read More.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.5%

AZN stock opened at $184.63 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $132.32 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a market capitalization of $286.34 billion, a PE ratio of 31.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.26. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $196.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.93 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were given a $1.595 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca's payout ratio is presently 73.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. DZ Bank raised shares of Astrazeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings began coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a "buy (b)" rating for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $205.33.

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.

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