Erste Group Bank Forecasts Reduced Earnings for Astrazeneca

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank cut their FY2026 earnings estimates for Astrazeneca in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, July 15th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $10.31 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $10.52. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca’s current full-year earnings is $10.22 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Astrazeneca’s FY2027 earnings at $11.50 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Astrazeneca from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.00.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $168.81 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $182.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $188.44. The company has a market cap of $261.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.35, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.24. Astrazeneca has a 12 month low of $137.23 and a 12 month high of $212.71.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.19% and a return on equity of 30.86%. The company had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.93 billion.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Signet Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Astrazeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,565,000. Boston Common Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. Boston Common Asset Management LLC now owns 83,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,669,000 after buying an additional 14,576 shares in the last quarter. Westview Management dba Westview Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,598,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Astrazeneca by 223.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 29,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,752,000 after acquiring an additional 20,635 shares during the period. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Astrazeneca during the fourth quarter worth $952,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.