AstraZeneca (AZN) to Release 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.

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

AstraZeneca Stock Up 0.4 %

AZN stock opened at $68.53 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50 day moving average is $66.02 and its 200 day moving average is $65.85. The stock has a market cap of $212.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. AstraZeneca has a 1-year low of $60.47 and a 1-year high of $76.56.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.965 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is 100.52%.

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZN. Norges Bank purchased a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at $254,290,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 407.1% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,093,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $271,553,000 after buying an additional 3,286,137 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 683.3% during the fourth quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,814,286 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,009,000 after buying an additional 1,582,656 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,222,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $693,092,000 after buying an additional 1,561,194 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 22.0% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,466,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,328,000 after buying an additional 1,343,939 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on AZN. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.00.

About AstraZeneca

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.