Erste Group Bank Lowers Earnings Estimates for Astrazeneca

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank reduced their FY2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Astrazeneca in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $11.42 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $11.50. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca’s current full-year earnings is $10.22 per share.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. DZ Bank raised Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $161.80 on Monday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $250.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $175.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $186.98. Astrazeneca has a fifty-two week low of $145.79 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.