The quarterly season continues with AstraZeneca, for weeks at the center of market attention for its anti-Covid vaccine and for the announced delays in deliveries.
The British company closed 2020 with a net income doubled compared to the previous year to 3,2 billion euro. The pharmaceutical group's accounts were driven by sales of a wide range of therapies, with the turnover which last year recorded a jump of 9% to 26,6 billion dollars (7,41 billion in the fourth quarter alone). For 2021, it expects revenue to rise on the back of "faster growth" in earnings per share of between $4,75 and $5.
"2020 has been a pivotal year for AstraZeneca”, underlines the company in a note. The pharmaceutical company has in fact collaborated with the University of Oxford to develop a Covid-19 vaccine which it obtained EMA's ok at the end of January.
In Italy the whey is distributed by Sda, express courier of Poste Italiane which concluded the delivery of 135 thousand of the 250 thousand doses that arrived at the Pratica di Mare airport. The delivery involved 9 Italian Regions. We also recall that yesterday, Wednesday 10 February, WHO declared that the vaccine is also valid for over 65s, recommending its use even “if there are variants in a country”.
But Astrazeneca's 2020 was not just about Covid-19. The company has in fact signed the largest deal in its history, buying the US pharmaceutical manufacturer Alexion for 39 billion dollars and betting on rare diseases and immunological drugs.
Astrazeneca also let it be known that its forecasts do not yet include the impact of the anti-Covid serum and announced a dividend of $1,90 per share which brings the total coupon to $2,80, unchanged from last year.
Pascal Soriot, CEO, commenting on the results said: “Last year's performance marked a significant step forward for AstraZeneca. Despite the significant impact of the pandemic, we delivered double-digit revenue growth to leverage improved profitability and cash generation. Consistent results in the pipeline, accelerating performance of our business, and Covid-19 vaccine progress have demonstrated what we can achieve, while the proposed acquisition of Alexion is intended to further accelerate our scientific and commercial evolution.”
The results presented today are pushing the stock market the title Astrazeneca which on the London Stock Exchange gains 1,89% to 7.382 pounds, while futures on the Nasdaq mark a rise of more than 2% to 50,98 dollars.
