Erste Group Bank Predicts Increased Earnings for Astrazeneca

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank lifted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Astrazeneca in a research note issued on Thursday, April 2nd. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $10.44 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $10.42.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.75.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

Shares of AZN opened at $204.90 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Astrazeneca has a 12 month low of $126.16 and a 12 month high of $212.71. The company has a market capitalization of $317.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.35.

Astrazeneca Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a $1.595 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 20th. This represents a dividend yield of 156.0%. Astrazeneca’s payout ratio is currently 74.83%.

Institutional Trading of Astrazeneca

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

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.