Erste Group Bank Lowers Earnings Estimates for Astrazeneca

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank dropped their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Astrazeneca in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 12th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $10.17 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $10.25. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca’s current full-year earnings is $10.26 per share.

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

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on AZN. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Astrazeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

NYSE:AZN opened at $183.97 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. Astrazeneca has a fifty-two week low of $137.23 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. The firm has a market cap of $285.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $192.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $182.29.

Institutional Trading of Astrazeneca

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 21.5% during the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 64,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,942,000 after acquiring an additional 11,398 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.0% in the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 1,089,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,595,000 after purchasing an additional 181,273 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in shares of Astrazeneca by 111.6% in the third quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 66,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 35,148 shares during the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 20.4% during the third quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 42,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,298,000 after purchasing an additional 7,289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oxbow Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 96.2% during the third quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 77,594 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,953,000 after buying an additional 38,043 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

More Astrazeneca News

Here are the key news stories impacting Astrazeneca this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo won FDA approval for Enhertu in two additional early HER2-positive breast cancer settings, broadening the drug’s use in both neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment and strengthening AZN’s oncology pipeline. AZN, Daiichi’s Enhertu Gets FDA Nod for Two New Breast Cancer Settings
• Positive Sentiment: Baxfendy (baxdrostat) was approved as the first aldosterone synthase inhibitor for adults with uncontrolled hypertension, giving AstraZeneca a first-in-class cardiovascular drug with blockbuster potential. AstraZeneca’s blood pressure drug wins U.S. approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage note the approvals could raise questions about valuation, since much of the optimism may now be tied to how quickly AZN can convert these launches into meaningful sales growth. AstraZeneca’s New FDA Wins Raise Questions On Growth And Valuation

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.