Erste Group Bank Reduces Earnings Estimates for Astrazeneca

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank lowered their FY2026 EPS estimates for Astrazeneca in a report released on Wednesday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the company will earn $10.25 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $10.33. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca’s current full-year earnings is $10.22 per share.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.17 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on AZN. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE AZN opened at $161.80 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $175.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $186.98. The company has a market capitalization of $250.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca has a 12 month low of $145.79 and a 12 month high of $212.71.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Professional Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,241,000. Pursuit Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth about $636,000. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 83,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,680,000 after acquiring an additional 12,255 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 335,387 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,832,000 after acquiring an additional 25,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,221,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Astrazeneca

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.