Astrazeneca FY2026 EPS Forecast Lowered by Erste Group Bank

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank lowered AstraZeneca’s FY2026 EPS forecast to $10.14 from $10.25, slightly below the analyst consensus of $10.19.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.67, despite mixed individual ratings.
• AstraZeneca’s latest quarterly results beat EPS expectations, reporting $2.63 per share versus $2.50 expected, while revenue rose 6.4% year over year to $15.38 billion.

Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank reduced their FY2026 earnings estimates for Astrazeneca in a research report issued on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the company will post earnings of $10.14 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $10.25. The consensus estimate for Astrazeneca's current full-year earnings is $10.19 per share.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. CICC Research assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Sunday, August 23rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $198.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered Astrazeneca from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.67.

Astrazeneca Stock Performance

NYSE AZN opened at $162.83 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $252.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.34, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.26. Astrazeneca has a twelve month low of $145.79 and a twelve month high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $171.23 and a 200 day moving average of $184.72.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.13. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.17 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Astrazeneca

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AZN. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 93.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Astrazeneca by 45.3% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,501 shares of the company's stock worth $2,756,000 after purchasing an additional 11,690 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Astrazeneca by 54.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 10,274 shares of the company's stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 3,618 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 898.4% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 33,478 shares of the company's stock worth $2,339,000 after purchasing an additional 30,125 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 1.2% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 46,642 shares of the company's stock worth $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

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.

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