AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Forecasted to Post FY2025 Earnings of $5.12 Per Share

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) – Analysts at Leerink Partnrs lifted their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of AstraZeneca in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, April 24th. Leerink Partnrs analyst A. Berens now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $5.12 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $5.07. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca’s current full-year earnings is $4.01 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for AstraZeneca’s FY2026 earnings at $5.60 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of AstraZeneca from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $75.17 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $67.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.05. AstraZeneca has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $75.81. The stock has a market cap of $233.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.34% and a net margin of 13.30%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.965 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 94.61%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AZN. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 11.0% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 29,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,974,000 after purchasing an additional 2,886 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 644,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,691,000 after buying an additional 26,322 shares in the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 11,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $788,000 after buying an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 13,262 shares of the company’s stock worth $899,000 after buying an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in AstraZeneca in the 1st quarter worth $705,000. Institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

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.