Zacks Research Forecasts Reduced Earnings for AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q4 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of AstraZeneca in a research note issued on Wednesday, April 9th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $1.34 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.35. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca’s current full-year earnings is $4.51 per share.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%.

AZN has been the subject of several other research reports. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.80.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $67.87 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $73.20 and a 200 day moving average of $70.75. The firm has a market cap of $210.48 billion, a PE ratio of 30.03, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49. AstraZeneca has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 91.15%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cibc World Markets Corp raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 12,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Veery Capital LLC boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Veery Capital LLC now owns 3,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tiller Private Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Tiller Private Wealth Inc. now owns 3,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company’s marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.