Erste Group Bank Forecasts Weaker Earnings for Astrazeneca

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank reduced their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Astrazeneca in a report released on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the company will earn $10.14 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $10.25. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca’s current full-year earnings is $10.19 per share.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $15.38 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.17 EPS.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on AZN. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. HSBC lowered shares of Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Down 0.3%

AZN stock opened at $162.21 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $170.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.57. The company has a market capitalization of $251.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.25, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca has a twelve month low of $145.79 and a twelve month high of $212.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astrazeneca

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Professional Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,241,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,296,000. Westport Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,422,000. Madison Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,041,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in Astrazeneca during the 2nd quarter worth $5,901,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Astrazeneca Company Profile

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.