The Lemon Fool

AstraZeneca delivered a year of strong revenue growth, supported by the launch of new medicines1 and further
good progress on its pipeline, with several approvals and data readouts. These trends are set to continue in
2020, accompanied by growth in earnings and cash. In maintaining its focus on patients and science, the
Company remains on track to deliver its strategic ambitions.
Full-year Product Sales growth of 12% (15% at CER2) to $23,565m included fourth-quarter Product Sales of
$6,250m (+8%, +9% at CER). All three therapy areas and every sales region grew at CER in the quarter and
over the full year. Highlights for the year included:
- Sales of new medicines increased by 59% (62% at CER) to $9,906m, including new-medicine growth in
Emerging Markets of 75% (84% at CER) to $1,865m. New medicines represented 42% of total Product Sales
(FY 2018: 30%)
- Sales growth across the therapy areas: Oncology +44% (+47% at CER) to $8,667m, New CVRM3 +9% (+12%
at CER) to $4,376m and Respiratory +10% (+13% at CER) to $5,391m
- For the first time, around half of Product Sales in the year were within the specialty-care4 setting
- Sales growth across regions: total Emerging Markets sales increased by 18% (24% at CER) to $8,165m, with
China sales growth of 29% (35% at CER); China sales in the quarter increased by 25% (28% at CER) to
$1,189m. US sales increased by 13% in the year to $7,747m; Europe sales declined by 2% in the year (up
by 2% at CER) to $4,350m; Japan sales increased by 27% (26% at CER) to $2,548m
And later;

Dividend per share

Board reaffirms its commitment to the progressive dividend policy; a second interim dividend of $1.90 per
share (146.4 pence, 18.32 SEK) has been declared, taking the unchanged full-year dividend per share to $2.80
(218.3 pence, 26.81 SEK). Dividend payments are normally paid as follows:
- First interim dividend - announced with half-year and second-quarter results and paid in September
- Second interim dividend - announced with full-year and fourth-quarter results and paid in March
The record date for the second interim dividend for 2019, payable on 30 March 2020, will be 28 February 2020.
The ex-dividend date will be 27 February 2020. The record date for the first interim dividend for 2020, payable
on 14 September 2020, will be 14 August 2020. The ex-dividend date will be 13 August 2020.

Board reaffirms its commitment to the progressive dividend policy; a second interim dividend of $1.90 per
share (146.4 pence, 18.32 SEK) has been declared, taking the unchanged full-year dividend per share to $2.80
(218.3 pence, 26.81 SEK).

kempiejon wrote:

Board reaffirms its commitment to the progressive dividend policy; a second interim dividend of $1.90 per
share (146.4 pence, 18.32 SEK) has been declared, taking the unchanged full-year dividend per share to $2.80
(218.3 pence, 26.81 SEK).

Ah come on, unchanged since ye 2012 how much more progressive can they get.

kempiejon wrote:

Board reaffirms its commitment to the progressive dividend policy; a second interim dividend of $1.90 per
share (146.4 pence, 18.32 SEK) has been declared, taking the unchanged full-year dividend per share to $2.80
(218.3 pence, 26.81 SEK).

Ah come on, unchanged since ye 2012 how much more progressive can they get.

idpickering wrote: They sit alongside GlaxoSmithKline in my HYP, both equally weighted in capital value terms, making up 7.2% of my 29 share HYP in those terms.Happy to hold both, but not intending topping up either currently.

kempiejon wrote:

idpickering wrote: They sit alongside GlaxoSmithKline in my HYP, both equally weighted in capital value terms, making up 7.2% of my 29 share HYP in those terms.Happy to hold both, but not intending topping up either currently.

I had both unsheltered but only ANZ in the ISA, a few years of tax tidying saw the back of the unsheltered so only AZN in my HYP now and as you say not a current rising income buy. Still the income rolls in and I see in other news the value of my holdings is more than keeping pace with inflation.

idpickering wrote:
I hear you kempiejon. Disappointing to not get a rise, but it won't change my having AZN on board my HYP. They sit alongside GlaxoSmithKline in my HYP, both equally weighted in capital value terms, making up 7.2% of my 29 share HYP in those terms.

Happy to hold both, but not intending topping up either currently, even less so now.

Ian.

Arborbridge wrote:
Another fixed interest investment but with us carrying the risk

Bubblesofearth wrote:

Arborbridge wrote:
Another fixed interest investment but with us carrying the risk

There are no risk-free fixed interest investments.

Take long gilts as an example. Eyeballing prices, to get a 2.9% payout on your investment you would pay almost double the issue price. So, on maturity, you would lose about 50% of your money. And, of course, inflation would gradually erode the value of your annual income.

BoE

kempiejon wrote:

Board reaffirms its commitment to the progressive dividend policy; a second interim dividend of $1.90 per
share (146.4 pence, 18.32 SEK) has been declared, taking the unchanged full-year dividend per share to $2.80
(218.3 pence, 26.81 SEK).

Ah come on, unchanged since ye 2012 how much more progressive can they get.

2014	53.1	125	178.1
2015	57.5	131	188.5
2016	68.7	150.2	218.9
2017	68.9	133.6	202.5
2018	68.4	146.8	215.2
2019	71.9	146.4	218.3

yorkshirelad1 wrote:Unchanged in USD (at $2.80), but doing nicely in sterling:

Arborbridge wrote:
I just checked my own weighting and it's similar to yours: together they make 7.55% by capital, but supply only 5.19% of income. With AZN standing at nearly 1.5x median, there would be an argument for trimming and re-deploying to something with a higher yield - but there's no rush.

Arb.

Arborbridge wrote:
I didn't say that there were risk free investments. There are some with considerably lower risk than a single company investment, rather than carrying all the risk.

idpickering wrote:Disappointing to not get a rise, but it won't change my having AZN on board my HYP.

idpickering wrote:An hour ago I very nearly sold half my AZN holdings.

moorfield wrote:by idpickering » February 14th, 2020, 7:32 am

idpickering wrote:Disappointing to not get a rise, but it won't change my having AZN on board my HYP.

by idpickering » February 14th, 2020, 11:59 am

idpickering wrote:An hour ago I very nearly sold half my AZN holdings.

Ian, you are your own worst enemy!!! I know you like to "picker" but one day you will do your portfolio some damage ...

May I suggest that if your overall portfolio income ain't broke, then don't fix it ... Or put differently, "don't just do something, stand there".