Why Astrazeneca (AZN) Outpaced the Stock Market Today

Astrazeneca (AZN) closed the most recent trading day at $94.23, moving +1.38% from the previous trading session. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.5%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.64%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.43%. The pharmaceutical's shares have seen an increase of 0.05% over the last month, surpassing the Medical sector's loss of 0.63% and falling behind the S&P 500's gain of 0.18%.The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Astrazeneca in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on February 10, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Astrazeneca to post earnings of $1.09 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 3.81%. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $15.71 billion, indicating a 5.48% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $4.58 per share and a revenue of $58.63 billion, signifying shifts of +11.44% and 0%, respectively, from the last year. It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Astrazeneca. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability. Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system. The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.32% lower. At present, Astrazeneca boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Investors should also note Astrazeneca's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 18.12. This signifies a discount in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 20.09 for its industry. Meanwhile, AZN's PEG ratio is currently 1.59. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry stood at 1.45 at the close of the market yesterday. The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is part of the Medical sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 87, placing it within the top 36% of over 250 industries. The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions. Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockThis under-the-radar company specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. And it's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $971 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AstraZeneca PLC (AZN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks