Erste Group Bank Expects Increased Earnings for Astrazeneca

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their FY2026 EPS estimates for Astrazeneca in a research note issued on Thursday, October 8th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $10.45 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $10.34. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca’s current full-year earnings is $9.36 per share.

AZN has been the subject of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. HSBC cut Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.67.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $158.25 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 company’s 50-day moving average is $161.94 and its 200-day moving average is $176.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $245.43 billion, a PE ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.27. Astrazeneca has a 1 year low of $153.41 and a 1 year high of $212.71.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 7.4% during the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 4,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $638,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter worth about $321,000. Vertrix Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Astrazeneca by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vertrix Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $637,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, GK Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Astrazeneca in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca PLC is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Its research, development and commercial operations focus on prescription medicines for serious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on discovering and delivering innovative therapies rather than operating as a diversified healthcare conglomerate.

The company’s principal therapeutic areas include oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunological conditions; and rare diseases.