Zacks Research Has Weak Estimate for AstraZeneca Q1 Earnings

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for AstraZeneca in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, April 9th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $1.15 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.16. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca’s current full-year earnings is $4.51 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AstraZeneca’s Q2 2026 earnings at $1.19 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.26 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.94 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.39 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on AZN. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of AZN opened at $66.29 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $73.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.88. AstraZeneca has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $205.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.33, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.49.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($0.05). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 32.23% and a net margin of 13.01%.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 91.15%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 493,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,444,000 after purchasing an additional 1,269 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,086,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 15.5% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 17,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,397,000 after buying an additional 2,408 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its stake in AstraZeneca by 1.8% during the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 10,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $788,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Advisory Resource Group acquired a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca during the third quarter valued at about $946,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.