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AstraZeneca sees 2022 growth as dividend rises but Covid boost falls

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AstraZeneca’s Macclesfield plant.

Christopher Furlong | Getty Images News | Getty Images

AstraZenecaOn Thursday, the company forecasted higher sales in 2022 and increased its annualized dividend. This is after it posted a better-than-expected fourth quarter profit. The drugmaker’s Covid-19 anti-cancer treatment and other drugs helped to boost its profits.

However, the London-listed company stated that coronavirus product gross margins were likely to be lower than company average this year. Sales for Covid-19 products are expected to decrease by a percentage of the low to mid 20s.

AstraZeneca has stated that the vaccine will continue to be available to low-income countries after it made a small profit. A separate unit was set up to concentrate on coronaviruses and other respiratory diseases.

Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive of AstraZeneca stated that “AstraZeneca maintained its strong growth trajectory through 2021…five of our medicines crossed new blockbuster threshold.”

Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company expects that 2022 revenues will rise by a significant percentage to the teens. Core earnings growth is expected to be a small percentage of the mid-to high 20s. At constant currency rates of $27.42 billion, the overall sales rose 38% to $37.42 million in 2021.

Refinitiv IBES data shows analysts estimating $6.68 per Share and $42.73 Billion in Sales.

Analysts consider the company to be one of the most rapidly growing major drugmakers, primarily because it has developed new treatments for cancer. The company also announced that it will increase its annualized dividend from $0.10 to $2.90 annually, marking the first decade-long year-on-year growth.

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