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How to buy AstraZeneca shares
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AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) is a leading drug manufacturers—general business based in the UK. AstraZeneca is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and employs 70,600 staff. All prices are listed in pence sterling.
How to buy shares in AstraZeneca
- Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
- Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
- Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
- Search the platform for stock code: AZN in this case.
- Research AstraZeneca shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
- Buy your AstraZeneca shares. It's that simple.
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What's in this guide?
- Can I buy shares in AstraZeneca?
- AstraZeneca shares summary
- Compare share dealing platforms
- Is AstraZeneca stock a buy or sell?
- Is AstraZeneca suitable for ethical investing?
- Are AstraZeneca shares over-valued?
- AstraZeneca's financials
- How volatile are AstraZeneca shares?
- Does AstraZeneca pay a dividend?
- Other common questions
AstraZeneca share price
Use our graph to track the performance of AZN stocks over time.AstraZeneca shares at a glance
Information last updated 2020-09-25.
| 52-week range | 5871p - 9393p |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | 8466.723p |
| 200-day moving average | 8217.417p |
| Wall St. target price | 78.83p |
| PE ratio | 68.4677 |
| Dividend yield | 2.16p (2.52%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | 163.7p |
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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
Is it a good time to buy AstraZeneca stock?
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Is AstraZeneca under- or over-valued?
Valuing AstraZeneca stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of AstraZeneca's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
AstraZeneca's P/E ratio
AstraZeneca's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 68x. In other words, AstraZeneca shares trade at around 68x recent earnings.
That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the FTSE 250 at the end of September 2019 (19.71). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.
However, AstraZeneca's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the drug manufacturers—general industry or those of similar companies.
- Pfizer (PFE.US): 14.23
- Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 18.91
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 25.38
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 59.73
- IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 68.78
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.LSE): 11.24
AstraZeneca's PEG ratio
AstraZeneca's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 1.3507. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into AstraZeneca's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
However, it's sensible to consider AstraZeneca's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.
- Pfizer (PFE.US): 2.36
- Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 0.44
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 3.13
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 3.27
- IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 5.34
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.LSE): 7.76
AstraZeneca's EBITDA
AstraZeneca's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is a whopping £6.9 billion.
The EBITDA is a measure of a AstraZeneca's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.
To put AstraZeneca's EBITDA into context you can compare it against that of similar companies.
- Pfizer (PFE.US): USD$20.1 billion
- Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): USD$5.6 billion
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): USD$27.2 billion
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): USD$7.6 billion
- IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): USD$698.2 million
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.LSE): £9.1 billion
AstraZeneca financials
| Revenue TTM | £25.7 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 16.94% |
| Gross profit TTM | £19.5 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 4.47% |
| Return on equity TTM | 14.24% |
| Profit margin | 8.36% |
| Book value | 9.327p |
| Market capitalisation | £112.1 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
AstraZeneca's environmental, social and governance track record
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like AstraZeneca.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
AstraZeneca's total ESG risk score
Total ESG risk: 28.59
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and AstraZeneca's overall score of 28.59 (as at 08/01/2020) is nothing to write home about – landing it in it in the 58th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like AstraZeneca is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
To gain some more context, you can compare AstraZeneca's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.
- Pfizer (PFE.US): 33.15
- Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 22.15
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 35.78
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 33.33
- IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 30.77
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.LSE): 29.12
AstraZeneca's environmental score
Environmental score: 0.19/100
AstraZeneca's environmental score of 0.19 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that AstraZeneca is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
AstraZeneca's social score
Social score: 19.54/100
AstraZeneca's social score of 19.54 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that AstraZeneca is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
AstraZeneca's governance score
Governance score: 9.86/100
AstraZeneca's governance score puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that AstraZeneca is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
AstraZeneca's controversy score
Controversy score: 3/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. A high-profile company, AstraZeneca scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that AstraZeneca hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.
Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.
- Pfizer (PFE.US): 3
- Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 2
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 4
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 3
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.LSE): 3
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
AstraZeneca PLC was last rated for ESG on: 2020-08-01.
| Total ESG score | 28.59 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 58.18 |
| Environmental score | 0.19 |
| Environmental score percentile | 3 |
| Social score | 19.54 |
| Social score percentile | 3 |
| Governance score | 9.86 |
| Governance score percentile | 3 |
| Level of controversy | 3 |
AstraZeneca share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 167.85% of net profits
Recently AstraZeneca has paid out, on average, around 167.85% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 2.52% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), AstraZeneca shareholders could enjoy a 2.52% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In AstraZeneca's case, that would currently equate to about 2.16p per share.
AstraZeneca's payout ratio would broadly be considered high, and as such this stock could appeal to those looking to generate an income. Bear in mind however that companies should normally also look to re-invest a decent amount of net profits to ensure future growth.
The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 13 August 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").
AstraZeneca's dividend payout ratio is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.
- Pfizer (PFE.US): 58.50%
- Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 65.90%
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 67.84%
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 79.07%
- IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.LSE): 60.20%
AstraZeneca share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, AstraZeneca's shares have ranged in value from as little as 5871p up to 9393p. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (LSE average) beta is 1, while AstraZeneca's is 0.2102. This would suggest that AstraZeneca's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).
To put AstraZeneca's beta into context you can compare it against those of similar companies.
- Pfizer (PFE.US): 0.6589
- Gilead Sciences (GILD.US): 0.5775
- Johnson-and-Johnson (JNJ.US): 0.6817
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT.US): 0.9521
- IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX.US): 0.8049
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.LSE): 0.3614
AstraZeneca overview
AstraZeneca PLC discovers, develops, and commercializes prescription medicines in the areas of oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism, respiratory, autoimmunity, infection, neuroscience, and gastroenterology worldwide. Its marketed products include Arimidex, Casodex/Cosudex, Calquence, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Lynparza, Nolvadex, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology diseases; Atacand/Atacand HCT/Atacand Plus, Brilinta/Brilique, Crestor, Plendil, Seloken/Toprol-XL, Tenormin, and Zestril for cardiovascular diseases; and Bydureon, Byetta, Farxiga/Forxiga, Kombiglyze XR/Komboglyze, Onglyza, Qtern, Symlin, Xigduo/Xigduo XR for metabolic diseases. The company's marketed products also comprise Accolate, Bevespi Aerosphere, Bricanyl Respules, Bricanyl Turbuhaler, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Tudorza/Eklira, Fasenra, Oxis Turbuhaler, Pulmicort Turbuhaler/Pulmicort Flexhaler, Pulmicort Respules, Symbicort pMDI, and Symbicort Turbuhaler for respiratory diseases; Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalen and Synagis for infection diseases; Movantik/Moventig, Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR, and Vimovo for neuroscience diseases; and Losec/Prilosec and Nexium for gastrointestinal diseases. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.
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