AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) shares rose 3% to 11,116p on Tuesday morning after reporting better-than-expected second-quarter results, driven by strong cancer drug sales and broad-based geographic growth.
Pretax profit jumped 30% to $3.13 billion from $2.40 billion a year earlier, or 34% at constant exchange rates. Revenue climbed 12% to $14.46 billion, beating analyst expectations of $14.31 billion. Earnings per share increased 27% to $1.58. Core EPS rose 10% to $2.17, narrowly missing consensus.
Oncology remained the growth engine. Imfinzi sales rose 20%, Enhertu surged 35%, and Tagrisso added 9%. The BioPharmaceuticals division also contributed, as the company reported increases across all major regions.
AstraZeneca lifted its interim dividend by 3% to $1.03 and reaffirmed full-year guidance for high single-digit revenue growth and low double-digit core EPS growth.
The first half of 2025 saw revenue up 9.5% to $28.05 billion, pretax profit up 26% to $6.53 billion, and diluted EPS climbing 31% to $3.44.
The company expressed strong confidence in its pipeline, citing 12 successful Phase III trial readouts this year and emphasizing the $50 billion US investment as a cornerstone of its plan to grow revenue to $80 billion by 2030.