AstraZeneca PLC $AZN Holdings Boosted by ABC Arbitrage SA

ABC Arbitrage SA grew its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 210.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 681,362 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 461,831 shares during the period. AstraZeneca makes up 5.1% of ABC Arbitrage SA’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. ABC Arbitrage SA’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $52,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AZN. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in AstraZeneca in the third quarter valued at $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 376.0% during the 2nd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its position in AstraZeneca by 144.0% during the 3rd quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

AstraZeneca News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AstraZeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its long‑term targets and issued upbeat 2026 guidance (mid‑to‑high single‑digit revenue growth, low double‑digit EPS growth), which investors cheered as evidence of sustainable growth drivers from oncology and cardiovascular franchises. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage turned more constructive after the results — a Seeking Alpha piece upgraded AZN to Buy, citing 9% product‑sales growth, a 23.4% operating margin and management confidence behind the $80bn by‑2030 target. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory win: NICE approved Imfinzi as the first perioperative immuno‑oncology treatment for muscle‑invasive bladder cancer — a commercial and clinical endorsement that supports oncology revenue momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A dividend was declared (record date Feb 20, pay date Mar 23), which is supportive for income investors and signals management confidence in cash flow. (Company announcement)
• Neutral Sentiment: Full‑year results show continued top‑line progress ($58.7bn revenue, product sales +9%) and reiterated 2030 ambition, but company faces cost pressures and upcoming patent expiries that require successful pipeline replacements. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data are mixed/noisy: January showed a large decline in reported short positions (~3.88M shares, ~0.3% of shares), while a February snapshot contains anomalous zero/NaN figures — treat the latter as a data error until confirmed. (Short‑interest reports)
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets flagged Q4 EPS and sales misses versus certain estimates, creating short‑term headline risk despite the stronger forward outlook — this explains why reaction mixed across analysts even as the stock rose overall. Article Title

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $192.87 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $105.85 and its 200-day moving average is $90.30. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52 week low of $122.48 and a 52 week high of $195.90. The firm has a market cap of $299.13 billion, a PE ratio of 64.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88.

AstraZeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th will be issued a $1.595 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 165.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 20th. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on AZN. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Ten 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

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.