D.A. Davidson & CO. Has $2.24 Million Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

D.A. Davidson & CO. cut its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 20.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,317 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,157 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $2,235,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Bank of Montreal Can increased 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 worth $266,841,000 after buying an additional 2,695,793 shares during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 1,807,565 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 64.8% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,783,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $264,373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487,662 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 4.7% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 32,633,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,503,614,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461,786 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Astrazeneca by 750.5% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,628,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,437,253 shares during the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on AZN shares. Barclays upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating for the company. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Key Headlines Impacting Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded AZN from “neutral” to “buy”, citing favorable risk/reward at the current level which can support upside as late‑year pipeline readouts approach. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: DZ Bank also upgraded AZN to “buy”, adding analyst endorsement momentum that can help stabilize the stock after recent weakness. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised 2026 core EPS forecasts and reiterated a “buy” rating, highlighting the company’s Q1 beat and a pipeline-rich second half — a catalyst narrative that could support medium‑term upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Independent outlets (24/7 Wall St.) reiterated a bullish thesis, noting more than 20 Phase III readouts ahead and a price target implying meaningful upside — adds to longer‑term investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca exercised an option to license Pinetree’s EGFR degrader program (PTX‑299), triggering a $25M payment — a small near‑term cash outflow for potentially valuable oncology IP and collaboration upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: An FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 6‑3 against recommending camizestrant for a first‑line HR+ breast cancer setting, citing trial‑design/benefit‑risk concerns — this is the primary near‑term negative driver and increases regulatory risk for a key oncology asset. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank reaffirmed a “sell” rating, keeping a portion of the sell‑side negative pressure on the stock despite other upgrades. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY‑2026 EPS estimate slightly, a reminder that some analysts are tightening near‑term EPS assumptions even after the Q1 beat. Read More.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 1.5%

AZN opened at $184.63 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $196.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.02. Astrazeneca Plc has a twelve month low of $132.32 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $286.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.26.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.93 billion. Research analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.26 EPS for the current year.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.595 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s payout ratio is 73.43%.

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.