- Prev close
- $161.42
- Day range
- $160.00 – $162.18
- From 52-wk high
- -24.1%
- Next earnings
- in 88 days
AstraZeneca fell on merger-rumor headlines while the S&P 500 rose +1.8% and the Nasdaq 100 rose +3.4%, so the move reads as stock-specific rather than market-driven. The picture is worth attention because the business remains profitable, but the event risk is tied to a potentially disruptive $400B deal rumor rather than a clean operating update.
AZN
ASTRAZENECA PLC
As of Aug 4, 2026
38/100
Deserves your attentionHealth ScoreMove driver
The primary driver looks stock-specific: AZN closed at -6.9% while the S&P 500 was +1.8% and the Nasdaq 100 was +3.4%. The news flow was centered on AstraZeneca–Bristol Myers Squibb merger rumors, including headlines about a $400B mega-merger and commentary that the story may be a “fake out,” so this was not a broad-market setback but a company-specific event response.
Volatility read
This is more than ordinary volatility because the stock moved -6.9% against a strong tape while the operating backdrop is still solid: revenue is +8.6% YoY (TTM), the latest quarter was +6.4% YoY, and EPS is +25.9% YoY (TTM). Margins are also healthy at gross +81.3%, operating +22.8%, and net +17.0%. Valuation is not cheap, with PE 25.2, forward PE 16.9, and PEG 2.64; a PEG of 2.64 — P/E divided by growth, so investors are paying 2.64x the growth rate — means solid growth is already partly priced in, which can amplify moves when merger speculation hits. Beta is 1.34, and analyst consensus is still constructive at 13 strong-positive, 16 positive, 5 neutral, 1 negative, and 0 strong-negative, so the drop is not being driven by a visible fundamental cut, but by event risk and a rich-enough valuation that leaves less room for surprise.
Earnings setup
The next earnings date is not available this period, so I cannot place a precise report date in front of the move. What can be read from the facts is the current consensus backdrop: revenue growth is +8.6% YoY (TTM), the latest quarter is +6.4% YoY, EPS is +25.9% YoY (TTM), and margins are gross +81.3%, operating +22.8%, and net +17.0%. The market will be looking for whether that growth pace is holding, whether operating margins stay near +22.8%, and whether management addresses the merger speculation directly; prior-earnings reaction data is not provided in the facts, so I won't invent a pattern.
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