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

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) was upgraded by investment analysts at Barclays from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on AZN. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE AZN traded down $1.58 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $185.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 126,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,756,855. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Astrazeneca has a one year low of $132.32 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a market capitalization of $288.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.41, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.35.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by $0.07. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 31.01%. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.98 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Astrazeneca will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Market Inc. increased 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 worth $4,942,000 after purchasing an additional 11,398 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 20.0% in the 3rd 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 stake in Astrazeneca by 111.6% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 35,148 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,289 shares during the period. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC increased its stake in Astrazeneca by 96.2% in the 3rd quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,953,000 after purchasing an additional 38,043 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Astrazeneca

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.

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.