Astrazeneca FY2026 EPS Estimate Lowered by Erste Group Bank

Key Points

• Erste Group trimmed AstraZeneca’s FY2026 EPS estimate slightly to $10.25 from $10.30, just below the consensus of $10.26, signaling only a minor downward revision.
• AstraZeneca beat Q1 expectations with $2.58 EPS and $15.29 billion in revenue, and analyst sentiment remains largely positive (12 Buy ratings vs. 1 Sell) with a consensus target of $205.33 while shares trade near $182.67 (market cap ~$283.3B).
• Institutional activity included a large increase by DekaBank (adding ~3.7 million shares worth ~$747 million), and roughly 20.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) - Erste Group Bank cut their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Astrazeneca in a report issued on Tuesday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $10.25 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $10.30. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca's current full-year earnings is $10.26 per share.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.52 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $15.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.93 billion. Astrazeneca had a return on equity of 30.86% and a net margin of 17.19%.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings began coverage on Astrazeneca in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a "buy (b)" rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Astrazeneca Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of Astrazeneca stock opened at $182.67 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.43, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca has a fifty-two week low of $132.32 and a fifty-two week high of $212.71. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $194.66 and a 200 day moving average of $180.88.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $1.595 per share. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca's dividend payout ratio is 65.17%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Global Investments purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth $755,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth $45,000. Parallel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth $1,719,000. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Astrazeneca during the first quarter worth $202,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 4,529.1% during the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 3,783,927 shares of the company's stock worth $747,099,000 after acquiring an additional 3,702,185 shares during the period. 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.

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