Erste Group Bank Boosts Earnings Estimates for Astrazeneca

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 EPS estimates for Astrazeneca in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, September 18th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $10.34 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $10.17. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca’s current full-year earnings is $9.37 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Astrazeneca’s FY2027 earnings at $11.50 EPS.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 17.02%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.17 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on AZN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. HSBC cut Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.67.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 2.8%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $163.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $164.01 and a 200-day moving average of $179.63. Astrazeneca has a 52-week low of $145.79 and a 52-week high of $212.71. The stock has a market cap of $253.71 billion, a PE ratio of 24.45, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Amundi raised its position in Astrazeneca by 146,574.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 15,386,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,034,456,000 after purchasing an additional 15,375,659 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 889.9% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,949,424 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,319,947,000 after purchasing an additional 10,742,268 shares during the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 106,772.0% in the first quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 8,054,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,560,419,000 after buying an additional 8,047,406 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 208.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 10,386,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,048,417,000 after buying an additional 7,021,126 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,202,714,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its principal therapeutic areas include oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, respiratory and immunology conditions, and rare diseases.

The company’s portfolio includes medicines such as Tagrisso, Imfinzi and Lynparza for cancer; Farxiga for cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic conditions; Fasenra for severe asthma; and Symbicort for respiratory disease.