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Investing.com -- AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) (NASDAQ:AZN) shares rose on Tuesday after the pharmaceutical giant topped second-quarter earnings expectations, supported by strong demand for its oncology, cardiovascular, and renal therapies.
The company kept its full-year outlook unchanged, citing continued pricing pressure and global trade uncertainties. It forecasts a low double-digit percentage rise in core earnings and a high single-digit percentage increase in total revenue for fiscal 2025.
Shares of the drugmaker rose 3.2% in morning trade after the results.
AstraZeneca is working to move past regulatory scrutiny in China—its second-largest market—saying last week that any fallout from ongoing investigations is expected to be minimal. AstraZeneca is shifting its focus toward growing its U.S. presence and advancing its pipeline, aiming to hit $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030.
As part of that effort, the company recently announced a $50 billion investment in expanding research and manufacturing capabilities in the U.S. by 2030. The move comes amid renewed trade tensions, with President Donald Trump threatening higher tariffs.
“Our strong momentum in revenue growth continued through the first half of the year and the delivery from our broad and diverse pipeline has been excellent,” CEO Pascal Soriot said in a statement.
AstraZeneca is relying on the launch of 20 new medicines and its U.S. expansion strategy to meet its long-term revenue goal.
For the second quarter, the company reported an 11% increase in revenue to $14.46 billion at constant currency, with core earnings of $2.17 per share—both slightly ahead of analyst expectations of $14.15 billion in revenue and $2.16 EPS.
Despite the positive financial results, the company announced a delay in its Phase III AVANZAR study, which is now expected in the first half of 2026.