Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Sells 4,000 Shares of Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lowered its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 293,777 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,000 shares during the quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $27,007,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of AZN. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 102.7% during the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday. Barclays upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Trending Headlines about 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 Trading Down 1.5%

AZN stock opened at $184.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $286.34 billion, a PE ratio of 31.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca Plc has a 12 month low of $132.32 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $196.02 and its 200 day moving average is $180.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

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

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $1.595 dividend. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.43%.

Astrazeneca Company 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.