Zacks Research Equities Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for shares of AstraZeneca in a report issued on Wednesday, April 17th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $1.14 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.15. The consensus estimate for AstraZeneca’s current full-year earnings is $4.02 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AstraZeneca’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.17 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.25 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.63 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.20 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.09 EPS.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The company had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

Shares of AstraZeneca stock opened at $68.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.88. AstraZeneca has a twelve month low of $60.47 and a twelve month high of $76.56. The firm has a market cap of $212.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.965 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s payout ratio is currently 100.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AstraZeneca

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AZN. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AstraZeneca during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in AstraZeneca by 4,875.0% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 20.35% of the stock is owned by 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.