AstraZeneca Shares: Price, Dividends and Performance

AstraZeneca stock is an attractive option to have in your stock portfolio for both yield and growth.

How much can you make with AstraZeneca stock?

Get up-to-date and precise information on AstraZeneca stock with its current price, dividend yield, analysis and our opinion.

Should I buy AstraZeneca stock?

AstraZeneca stock is an ideal pharmaceutical stock for a mixed strategy based on both yield and growth.

The group has been paying a dividend to its shareholders on a regular basis for many years with a yield close to 3%.

In addition, the share price history and the analysts' consensus show that this stock can still gain in growth in the coming years and thus allow an interesting capital gain.

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How can I buy shares in AstraZeneca ?

To buy AstraZeneca on the stock market:

1. Find an online broker offering stock investments.
2. Open your trading account by filling out a simple form.
3. Deposit funds into your account.
4. Search for the stock
5. Place a buy order to add AstraZeneca to your stock portfolio.

To invest in AstraZeneca, you can go through a traditional investment firm, an online brokerage or speak with a financial advisor.

How much are AstraZeneca shares?

See price chart below to follow AstraZeneca stock price in real time.

Why AstraZeneca shares could go up:

AstraZeneca appears to have many strengths that could help its stock gain points in the future. Here are the most favourable elements:

• Effective strategy: with quick decision-making and streamlined due diligence, AstraZeneca is pursuing an effective strategy.
• International commercial presence: the group also has an excellent international presence and markets its products worldwide, particularly in emerging markets.
• Strong investment in R&D: Research and development are of course at the heart of the AstraZeneca group's strategy. The company has over 11,000 dedicated R&D teams.
• A large company: the company is active in about 100 countries and currently employs more than 60,000 people, making it a strong company in this sector.
• Highly profitable products: some of the products marketed by AstraZeneca generate significant revenues, with ten products having worldwide sales in excess of $1 billion.
• A diversified portfolio: AstraZeneca's product portfolio includes treatments for cancer, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease, infections, neuroscience, respiratory disease and inflammation.

Why AstraZeneca shares could go down:

On the other hand, some elements are more pessimistic with signals in favour of a decline in the price of this stock including:

• Drug shortages: the company's activities have been affected on several occasions by a shortage crisis of certain drugs such as Cefotan.
• Manufacturing stoppages: various product manufacturing stoppages are affecting the group's performance.
• Numerous legal proceedings: AstraZeneca has faced numerous legal proceedings related to patents and pricing issues that have affected its image.
• Increasing number of generics: Some drugs that are coming off patent may be replaced or competed with by generics.
• Strong competition: AstraZeneca faces strong competition from other pharmaceutical companies and biotechs in the research and development of new treatments.

Can I buy AstraZeneca stock online?

Yes! You can buy AstraZeneca shares online. For many buyers this is the best way to do it. Here's why:

• The commissions are lower
• You can choose your own investments
• You benefit from analysis and decision support tools
• You can invest in stocks directly or through derivatives like ETFs.

How can I sell my AstraZeneca shares?

To sell AstraZeneca stock with a registered trading vehicle, you must hold it in your portfolio and place a sell order from your broker.

It is also possible, with a margin account, to short this stock.

Finally, if you want to bet on the decline of this stock, you can also choose to use derivatives such as CFDs or options.

What investment vehicles in Canada can hold AstraZeneca stock?

AstraZeneca shares can be placed in several different savings vehicles including"

• RRSPs: these registered retirement savings plans offer funds that are accessible at the time of retirement and offer an income tax deferral.
• TFSAs: tax-free savings accounts is an incredibly popular short-and long-term tax-free investment vehicle.
• Margin accounts: This account offers leverage and allows you to borrow against the value of the securities you hold to make other investments. It allows you to sell short.
• Cash accounts: This account allows you to trade stocks on North American markets only.

Of course, it is also possible to buy AstraZeneca shares individually through an online broker.

You can also opt to invest in a stock market fund such as a mutual fund or an exchange traded fund. These funds allow you to invest in several stocks at the same time and thus diversify your investments.

AstraZeneca share price history over 10 years:

AstraZeneca dividends and payment dates

In 2021, the AstraZeneca group paid a dividend of 210.20 GBP to its stockholders.

AstraZeneca has paid a dividend to its shareholders without interruption since 1993.

The current annualized dividend yield is 1.93%.

AstraZeneca's dividend payment is bi-annual. This means that it is paid in two installments per year with ex-dividend dates in February and August.

What is the dividend yield for AstraZeneca over the last 10 years?

The yield on AstraZeneca shares is obtained by dividing the annual dividend by the annual average price.

A stock's yield provides key information about a company's dividend policy and its evolution over time and performance.

What analysts are saying about AstraZeneca stock:

A critical analysis of AstraZeneca stock:

From a fundamental analysis perspective on AstraZeneca, the medium to long-term signals are somewhat ambiguous with the following indicators:

• Strong earnings growth: AstraZeneca's expected earnings growth is expected to increase significantly for the current and future fiscal years.
• High margins: The profitability of the company's business is also very strong, with high margins that allow it to make investments.
• Converging opinions: the opinions and views of the analysts covering the portfolio are consistent, which demonstrates good visibility of the group's business.
• Fragile financial situation: at the same time, the company's financial situation remains deteriorated with a high level of debt which still weighs on its results.
• Divergent price targets: the average price targets of analysts on this share diverge significantly from one another, which makes it difficult to assess the possible growth of this share.
• Below expectations: Historically, AstraZeneca has often performed below market expectations.

A technical analysis of AstraZeneca stock:

Based on the following indicators, the technical analysis of AstraZeneca stock is very positive with strong buy signals in the medium and long-term:

• The RSI is valued at 70.92, which sends a strong buy signal on this stock.
• The short- and medium-term stochastics give a neutral signal on this stock and the long-term stochastic gives an overbought signal.
• The MACD is at 716.70, which is a strong buy signal on this stock.
• The simple and exponential moving averages over all time frames are all sending strong buy signals.
• The next technical supports for AstraZeneca stock are located at 59.28 and 52.23 and the next resistances are located at 70.47 and 74.61.

Who is AstraZeneca?

AstraZeneca PLC is a British pharmaceutical company. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical groups.

AstraZeneca's turnover can be divided between different sources:

• Product sales with 97.7% of turnover: among these sales, we distinguish oncology with 35.7%, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases with 21.9%, respiratory and autoimmune diseases with 16.5% and inflammatory diseases, neurological diseases, gastrointestinal diseases and infectious diseases with 25.9
• • Collaboration revenues with 2.3% of sales.

The geographical distribution of the Group's revenues is as follows:

• The United Kingdom with 8.7% of revenues
• Continental Europe with 20.9% of revenues
• America with 37.5% of revenues
• Africa, Asia and Australia with 32.9% of sales

The AstraZeneca Group currently employs 83,100 people.

Who are AstraZeneca’s competitors?

AstraZeneca is one of the big names in the pharmaceutical industry today, but faces some tough competitors in its market. Here are its main competitors:

• Pfizer: this American pharmaceutical company is present in more than 150 countries and has been successful through numerous mergers in the past.
• Moderna: This American biotech company specializes in the development of protein therapies based on messenger RNA technology.
• Johnson & Johnson: this US pharmaceutical company specializes in pharmaceutical and medical devices, personal care products, cosmetics and related services for consumers and healthcare professionals.
• BioNTech: this German biotechnology company specializes in the development and manufacture of immunotherapies for the treatment of serious diseases.
• Sanofi: this French transnational company is active in pharmaceuticals and vaccines.
• Novavax: this American pharmaceutical company specializes in vaccines and is known for its vaccine against Covid.

Who are AstraZeneca’s partners?

While AstraZeneca has many enemies in its market, it can also has some strategic allies. Here are its recent partners:

• Daiichi Sankyo: AstraZeneca has joined forces with this Japanese laboratory to develop and market treatments for certain cancers, including lung and breast cancer.
• Novasep: another strategic partnership has been established with the French company Novasep, the European leader in the production of viral vectors, with the aim of producing part of the Covid-19 vaccine for Europe.
• Huma Therapeutics: this global digital health technology company has partnered with AstraZeneca to accelerate innovation in digital health.
• IDT Biologika: The two companies have partnered to produce Covid-19 vaccines for Germany and the broader European market.

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Alexandre Desoutter

Alexandre Desoutter has been working as editor-in-chief and head of press relations at HelloSafe since June 2020. A graduate of Sciences Po Grenoble, he worked as a journalist for several years in French media, and continues to collaborate as a as a contributor to several publications.