AstraZeneca (AZN) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) is scheduled to be releasing its earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect AstraZeneca to post earnings of $0.97 per share for the quarter. Persons that wish to listen to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect AstraZeneca to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $5 EPS for the next fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $70.85 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $66.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.92. AstraZeneca has a 12 month low of $60.47 and a 12 month high of $76.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $219.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.90, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.965 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.