Erste Group Bank Comments on Astrazeneca FY2026 Earnings

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Astrazeneca in a report released on Thursday, April 2nd. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the company will earn $10.44 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $10.42.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $204.44 on Thursday. Astrazeneca has a 1 year low of $122.48 and a 1 year high of $212.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $317.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $1.595 dividend. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 102.7% in the fourth quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.