Leerink Partnrs Boosts Earnings Estimates for AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) – Research analysts at Leerink Partnrs lifted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of AstraZeneca in a note issued to investors on Monday, February 10th. Leerink Partnrs analyst A. Berens now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $5.10 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $5.07. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca’s current full-year earnings is $4.66 per share.

AZN has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $73.58 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $67.96 and a 200 day moving average of $73.49. The company has a market capitalization of $228.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.56, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. AstraZeneca has a 1-year low of $61.77 and a 1-year high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.71.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.55% and a net margin of 13.01%.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This is a boost from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is 43.36%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 37,507,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,457,706,000 after purchasing an additional 686,008 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 1.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,117,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,801,080,000 after purchasing an additional 258,477 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $1,276,367,000 after purchasing an additional 357,894 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 15,430,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,011,037,000 after purchasing an additional 466,416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 212,301 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

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.