Zacks Research Has Positive View of AstraZeneca Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Analysts from Zacks Research have increased their Q3 2026 EPS estimate for AstraZeneca to $1.30, slightly above the previous estimate of $1.29.
• AstraZeneca reported a revenue of $14.46 billion for its last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $14.08 billion, and showed a year-over-year revenue increase of 16.1%.
• Despite AstraZeneca's robust performance, Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock from a "hold" to a "sell" rating, amidst a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from other analysts.

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for shares of AstraZeneca in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, October 17th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $1.30 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.29. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca's current full-year earnings is $4.51 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AstraZeneca's Q4 2026 earnings at $1.36 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $5.05 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.29 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.40 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.49 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.75 EPS.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.09. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 14.68% and a return on equity of 32.84%. The firm had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.24 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $97.00 price objective on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.00.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of AZN stock opened at $84.69 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $80.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.86. AstraZeneca has a twelve month low of $61.24 and a twelve month high of $86.57. The company has a market capitalization of $262.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

AstraZeneca Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.505 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a dividend yield of 200.0%. AstraZeneca's payout ratio is presently 37.97%.

Institutional Trading of AstraZeneca

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 149.3% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 364 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 297.9% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 386 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 59.8% during the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 398 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, VSM Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company's stock.

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.

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