AstraZeneca (AZN) to Release Earnings on Thursday

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) will issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, April 25th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.97 per share for the quarter. Parties that are interested in participating in the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a net margin of 13.00% and a return on equity of 30.19%. AstraZeneca’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect AstraZeneca to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $5 EPS for the next fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:AZN opened at $70.13 on Tuesday. AstraZeneca has a 1 year low of $60.47 and a 1 year high of $76.56. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $66.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $217.43 billion, a PE ratio of 36.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a $0.965 dividend. This is a positive change from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.3%. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AZN. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.00.

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.