Zacks Research Increases Earnings Estimates for AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for AstraZeneca in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 20th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $1.21 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.19. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca's current full-year earnings is $4.51 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AstraZeneca's Q3 2026 earnings at $1.28 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.95 EPS.

AZN has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $88.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $69.95 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $69.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.42. AstraZeneca has a 52 week low of $61.24 and a 52 week high of $87.68. The company has a market cap of $216.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.95, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.40.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.01% and a return on equity of 32.23%. The company had revenue of $13.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.06 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AZN. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,507,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,457,706,000 after acquiring an additional 686,008 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 189.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock worth $1,574,247,000 after purchasing an additional 15,722,197 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 19,480,569 shares of the company's stock worth $1,276,367,000 after buying an additional 357,894 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 15,430,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,011,037,000 after buying an additional 466,416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 15,186,692 shares of the company's stock valued at $995,032,000 after buying an additional 212,301 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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