Erste Group Bank Boosts Earnings Estimates for Astrazeneca

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) – Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2027 earnings estimates for shares of Astrazeneca in a note issued to investors on Friday, June 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $11.52 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $11.50. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca’s current full-year earnings is $9.37 per share.

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

Several other brokerages also recently commented on AZN. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, April 10th. Barclays reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Monday, June 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

Shares of AZN stock opened at $182.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $283.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.25. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $189.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $185.85. Astrazeneca has a 52 week low of $137.23 and a 52 week high of $212.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AZN. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the third quarter valued at $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Bangor Savings Bank increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Astrazeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently 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.