AstraZeneca Hikes Annual Dividend By 7% Just Before Vote On Its CEO's Pay Package Boost
AstraZeneca Hikes Annual Dividend By 7% Just Before Vote On Its CEO's Pay Package Boost
Thursday, AstraZeneca Plc (NASDAQ:AZN) raised its annualized dividend for 2024 by $0.20 to $3.10 per share, underlining the company's confidence in its performance and cash generation.
週四，阿斯利康公司（納斯達克股票代碼：AZN）將其2024年的年化股息提高了0.20美元，至每股3.10美元，這凸顯了該公司對其業績和現金產生的信心。
The company said the 7% increase takes into account other capital allocation priorities and previously announced acquisitions and business development.
該公司表示，7％的增長考慮到了其他資本配置優先事項以及先前宣佈的收購和業務發展。
Michel Demaré, Chair, AstraZeneca, said: "This uplift is in line with our progressive dividend policy, which remains unchanged, and reflects the continuing strength of AstraZeneca's investment proposition for shareholders."
阿斯利康董事長米歇爾·德馬雷表示：“這種提振符合我們的累進股息政策，該政策保持不變，反映了阿斯利康對股東的投資主張的持續強度。”
Also Read: AstraZeneca CEO Highlights Decade-Long Sales Goal Of $45B Along With Investor Doubts As It Lags In Weight Loss Race.
另請閱讀： 阿斯利康首席執行官強調了長達十年的450億美元銷售目標，以及投資者對其在減肥競賽中落後的疑慮。
Reuters noted the shareholders are gearing up to vote on a proposal during the annual general meeting that might increase CEO Pascal Soriot's compensation by £1.8 million, potentially reaching £18.9 million in 2024.
路透社指出，股東們正準備在年度股東大會期間對一項提案進行表決，該提案可能會將首席執行官帕斯卡爾·索里奧特的薪酬增加180萬英鎊，可能在2024年達到1,890萬英鎊。
Influential proxy advisers Glass Lewis and ISS have recommended that shareholders oppose the policy.
有影響力的代理顧問格拉斯·劉易斯和ISS建議股東反對該政策。
AstraZeneca intends to maintain or increase the dividend each year as part of that dividend policy.
作爲該股息政策的一部分，阿斯利康打算每年維持或增加股息。
"Shareholders won't be blind to the fact that this is a barely disguised sweetener, but it may quell appetites enough to get the divisive package through," Reuters highlighted, citing Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
路透社援引哈格里夫斯·蘭斯當首席股票分析師索菲·隆德-耶茨的話強調說：“股東們不會對這是一種幾乎沒有掩飾的甜味劑這一事實視而不見，但它可能足以平息胃口，足以使分裂性的一攬子計劃獲得通過。”
"The bigger picture for Astra still centers on the work it does on rarer and more complex treatments – dominating this area of the market takes very deep pockets, and that doesn't appear to be under threat."
“阿斯利康的總體前景仍然集中在它在更罕見、更復雜的治療方法上所做的工作——在這一市場領域佔據主導地位需要很大的財力，而且這似乎沒有受到威脅。”
Last month, AstraZeneca agreed to acquire Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:FUSN) for $21.00 per share in cash plus a non-transferable contingent value right (CVR) of $3.00 per share in cash payable upon the achievement of a specified regulatory milestone.
上個月，阿斯利康同意以每股現金21.00美元的價格收購Fusion Pharmicals Inc（納斯達克股票代碼：FUSN），外加每股3.00美元的不可轉讓或有價值權（CVR），即在達到規定的監管里程碑後應付現金。
For fiscal year 2024, AstraZeneca says total revenues and core EPS are expected to increase by a low double-digit to low teens percentage at constant exchange rates.
阿斯利康表示，在2024財年，按固定匯率計算，總收入和核心每股收益預計將以兩位數的低位數增長至青少年低水平。
Concurrently, the FDA approved AstraZeneca's Faaenra (benralizumab) as an add-on maintenance treatment for patients with severe asthma aged 6 to 11 with an eosinophilic phenotype.
同時，美國食品藥品管理局批准阿斯利康的Faaenra（benralizumab）作爲針對6至11歲具有嗜酸性表型的嚴重哮喘患者的附加維持療法。
Fasenra was first approved in 2017 as an add-on maintenance for severe eosinophilic asthma in patients aged 12 and older.
Fasenra於2017年首次獲准作爲12歲及以上患者的嚴重嗜酸性哮喘的附加維持治療。
Price Action: AZN shares are up 2.64% at $69.91 during the premarket session on the last check Thursday.
價格走勢：週四最後一次盤前交易中，AZN股價上漲2.64％，至69.91美元。
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
照片來自維基共享資源