Leerink Partnrs Has Negative View of AstraZeneca Q1 Earnings

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) – Investment analysts at Leerink Partnrs dropped their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for AstraZeneca in a research note issued to investors on Monday, February 10th. Leerink Partnrs analyst A. Berens now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $1.11 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.16. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca’s current full-year earnings is $4.66 per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for AstraZeneca’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.11 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.13 EPS and Q4 2025 earnings at $1.11 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. UBS Group raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

NASDAQ:AZN opened at $74.43 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. AstraZeneca has a 1 year low of $60.76 and a 1 year high of $87.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.67 and a 200-day moving average of $73.48.

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

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 21st. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.49. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is presently 43.36%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Martin Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 2.8% during the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 284,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,571,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new position in shares of AstraZeneca during the 4th quarter worth approximately $754,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 43,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after acquiring an additional 13,860 shares during the period. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.