Optas LLC Has $1.35 Million Position in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Optas LLC reduced its position in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 50.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,839 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,018 shares during the period. Optas LLC’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $1,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 6.0%

Shares of NYSE AZN opened at $194.96 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $302.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.27, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $183.91 and its 200 day moving average is $187.76. Astrazeneca Plc has a 52 week low of $137.23 and a 52 week high of $212.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $15.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Astrazeneca Plc will post 10.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on AZN. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Astrazeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $205.33.

Key Stories Impacting Astrazeneca

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca announced a strategic collaboration with Abbisko Therapeutics to advance a Phase I/II clinical trial of lumipodlin (ABSK043) combined with Tagrisso for non-small cell lung cancer, adding another pipeline development opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: AZN’s cancer drug Enhertu won another EU approval for HER2-positive solid tumors, extending its commercial footprint and reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s oncology franchise. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs and Bank of America both reaffirmed “buy” ratings on AstraZeneca, while Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS estimate, signaling continued analyst confidence in earnings power. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Separate style-score coverage from Zacks highlighted AZN as both a strong value stock and a strong momentum stock, which may have supported buying interest. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat noted that AstraZeneca’s shares have recently traded below some valuation-based fair value estimates, suggesting the stock still screens as expensive despite the recent rally.

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.