AstraZeneca Annual Report and Form 20-F Information 2008

Capitalisation & shareholder return

All data in this section is on a reported basis.

CAPITALISATION

The total number of shares in issue at 31 December 2008 was 1,447 million. 4.1 million shares were issued in consideration of share option plans and employee share plans for a total of $159 million. Reserves were reduced by $2,277 million in 2008 due to the effect of exchange rates and actuarial losses. Shareholders equity increased by a net $1,134 million to $15,912 million at the year end. Minority interests increased to $148 million (2007: $137 million).

DIVIDEND AND SHARE RE-PURCHASES

In line with the Board’s distribution policy and its overall financial strategy to strike a balance between the interests of the business, shareholders and financial creditors, whilst maintaining strong investment grade credit rating, total share re-purchases in 2008 were 13.6 million shares at a total cost of $610 million. This represented 0.9% of the share capital at the start of the year. All shares re-purchased have been cancelled. This brings the total number of shares re-purchased to date since the beginning of the re-purchase schemes in 1999, to 376.3 million shares at a total cost of $18,099 million. The Board has decided that no share re-purchases will take place in 2009 in order to maintain the flexibility to invest in the business.

In the year, 4.1 million shares were issued in consideration of share option exercises for a total of $159 million.

The Board regularly reviews its shareholder returns strategy, and in 2008 reaffirmed the dividend policy, which is to grow dividends in line with reported earnings before restructuring and synergy costs, with an aim to maintain at least two times dividend cover.

DIVIDEND FOR 2008

	$	Pence	SEK	Payment date
First interim dividend	0.55	27.8	3.34	15 September 2008
Second interim dividend	1.50	104.8	12.02	16 March 2009
Total	2.05	132.6	15.36

SUMMARY OF SHAREHOLDER DISTRIBUTIONS

	Shares  re-purchased  (million)	Cost  $m	Dividend  per share  $	Total   dividend   cost   $m	Total   shareholder   distributions   $m
1999	4.4	183	0.700	1,242	1,425
2000	9.4	352	0.700	1,236	1,588
2001	23.5	1,080	0.700	1,225	2,305
2002	28.3	1,190	0.700	1,206	2,396
2003	27.2	1,154	0.795	1,350	2,504
2004	50.1	2,212	0.940	1,555	3,767
2005	67.7	3,001	1.300	2,068	5,069
2006	72.2	4,147	1.720	2,649	6,796
2007	79.9	4,170	1.870	2,740	6,910
2008	13.6	610	2.050	2,9711	3,5811
Total	376.3	18,099	11.475	18,242	36,341

¹Total dividend cost estimated based upon number of shares in issue at 31 December 2008.

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