Barclays Upgrades Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) to “Buy”

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

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports 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. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.67.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of Astrazeneca stock traded down $0.98 on Wednesday, reaching $186.39. 278,316 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,757,493. The stock has a market capitalization of $289.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.51, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.94. Astrazeneca has a 52 week low of $132.32 and a 52 week high of $212.71.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in Astrazeneca by 552.9% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,547,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $973,603,000 after purchasing an additional 4,697,895 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the first quarter worth $675,263,000. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in Astrazeneca by 344.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,478,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $266,841,000 after acquiring an additional 2,695,793 shares during the period. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 1st quarter worth $473,782,000. Finally, ABN AMRO Bank N.V. grew its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 32,441.5% during the 1st quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 2,445,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $482,158,000 after purchasing an additional 2,437,657 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Astrazeneca News Summary

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.

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.