Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Stake Boosted by Nordea Investment Management AB

Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 223.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 29,888 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 20,635 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,752,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,503,614,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461,786 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 2.3% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 21,162,724 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,623,604,000 after buying an additional 466,745 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Astrazeneca by 9.4% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,805,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $521,517,000 after buying an additional 582,183 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 41.8% in the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 6,129,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,232,000 after buying an additional 1,807,565 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 13.1% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,707,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $438,342,000 after buying an additional 660,569 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

More Astrazeneca News

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Late‑stage trial win — Tozorakimab met primary goals in two pivotal trials, reducing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease flare‑ups versus placebo; the surprise positive readout is driving optimism about near‑term commercialization potential and pipeline momentum. AstraZeneca stock jumps 4% after surprise trial win for lung disease drug where rivals have failed
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory and commercial implications — Reuters and other outlets highlight the meaningful reduction in flare‑ups and the significance of a successful phase III outcome for a disease area where competitors have struggled, which increases the drug’s value on AstraZeneca’s roadmap. AstraZeneca drug reduces COPD flare ups in late-stage trials
• Positive Sentiment: Clinical confirmation across endpoints — The Wall Street Journal and other reports emphasize that the trials hit their primary endpoints by lowering symptom worsening rates, reinforcing confidence in the data’s robustness and the potential for label and payer discussions. AstraZeneca Lung Disease Drug Candidate Hits Goals in Late-Stage Trials
• Neutral Sentiment: Stock movement vs. market — Coverage notes AZN advanced while broader markets were down, indicating the move is company‑specific (trial news/pipeline) rather than market driven. Astrazeneca (AZN) Advances While Market Declines: Some Information for Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst positioning — AstraZeneca has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy,” which supports the stock’s upside but does not by itself explain today’s move; analyst views may follow as investigators and investors digest full data and commercial assumptions. Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating for the company. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Nine 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, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $188.57 on Friday. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $122.48 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $292.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.32.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 66.26%.

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.