Federated Hermes Inc. Lowers Holdings in AstraZeneca PLC $AZN

Federated Hermes Inc. reduced its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 118,013 shares of the company’s stock after selling 36,994 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $9,054,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 111.6% during the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,113,000 after buying an additional 35,148 shares during the period. Oxbow Advisors LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 38,043 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 191,518 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,156,000 after acquiring an additional 17,548 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in AstraZeneca by 68.2% during the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 1,899,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $145,730,000 after purchasing an additional 770,417 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at about $14,884,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN opened at $92.77 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $92.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.48. AstraZeneca PLC has a 1 year low of $61.24 and a 1 year high of $96.51. The stock has a market cap of $287.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $15.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.75 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 32.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.08 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. Citigroup initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

AstraZeneca News Summary

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.

About AstraZeneca

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.