Leerink Partnrs Weighs in on AstraZeneca PLC's FY2026 Earnings (NASDAQ:AZN)

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) - Analysts at Leerink Partnrs upped their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of AstraZeneca in a note issued to investors on Monday, April 8th. Leerink Partnrs analyst A. Berens now expects that the company will earn $5.81 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $5.80. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca's current full-year earnings is $4.01 per share.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. The company's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of AstraZeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an "overweight" rating for the company. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Monday, December 18th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock traded up $0.71 on Tuesday, hitting $68.41. The company had a trading volume of 4,392,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,150,452. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $212.10 billion, a PE ratio of 35.26, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 0.50. AstraZeneca has a 52 week low of $60.47 and a 52 week high of $76.56.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% in the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 20.35% of the company's stock.

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 represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.52%.

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.