New York State Common Retirement Fund Buys 120,064 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 61.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 316,722 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 120,064 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $24,299,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 144.0% in the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AstraZeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca agreed to license eight early-stage weight-management and diabetes programmes from CSPC, paying $1.2bn upfront with further milestone payments, gaining ex‑China rights and a clinical‑ready injectable that should enter trials soon — a quick way to add obesity pipeline exposure. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup initiated coverage of AZN with a Buy, which can increase investor demand and support the share price as the firm highlights upside in AstraZeneca’s growth story. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca set out a long‑term China plan, committing $15bn of investment through 2030 to expand manufacturing and R&D — this supports revenue potential in one of the fastest‑growing pharma markets and complements the CSPC tie‑up. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are reassessing AstraZeneca’s valuation after mixed recent moves; this coverage is informative but not an immediate catalyst unless analysts change targets. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data this month appears anomalous (showing 0 shares and NaN changes), suggesting no actionable signal from short‑interest metrics right now. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Risks: the deal’s headline values vary across reports (large potential milestone/partner payments reported in some outlets) and the obesity market is fiercely competitive (Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly). High contingent payments, execution risk on clinical programs, and intense competition could pressure returns if programmes underperform. Read More.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $92.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $92.29 and a 200 day moving average of $84.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $287.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $96.51.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.14 by $0.05. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.89% and a net margin of 16.17%.The firm had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.75 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.08 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on AZN. Citigroup began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. HSBC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Friday, January 16th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

AstraZeneca Profile

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led 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’s operations span research and development, large-scale manufacturing, and commercial distribution, with a presence in developed and emerging markets worldwide.

The company focuses on several core therapy areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM), respiratory and immunology, and rare diseases.