AstraZeneca (AZN) Set to Announce Quarterly 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. Individual interested in participating in the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $12.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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 Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ AZN opened at $70.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $219.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.90, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. AstraZeneca has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $76.56. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $66.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.92.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on AZN shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on AstraZeneca in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.00.

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.