# How AstraZeneca (AZN) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/azn
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on AZN alone. It places AZN (AstraZeneca PLC) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where AZN stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: AZN's full trading record, from May 1993 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** AZN has gone against the market, falling 15.3% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%.
- **Stock or market?:** AZN rose 3.3% over the past 3 months, in line with the pharmaceuticals ETF IHE (iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF), which rose 5.0%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its pharmaceutical peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: ABBV (AbbVie) rose 14.8%, while NVO (Novo Nordisk A/S) fell 20.0%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, AZN rose 1.8% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (38.8% against 89.3%). On the flip side, AZN lagged its pharmaceutical peers in 2023, then moved up the pack in 2025.
- **Long term:** AZN turned $10,000 into $35,700 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** AZN fell less than the S&P 500 in five of seven sell-offs, but the 2015 China and oil sell-off broke the pattern: it fell 18.0%, more than the S&P 500's 12.8%.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, AZN has a correlation of 0.22 over 5 years, less closely than 83% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is a real diversifier. Over 10 years, AZN's beta versus the S&P 500 was 0.39: 60% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 39% of its losses in falling ones.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** LLY (Eli Lilly and Company), ABBV (AbbVie) and JNJ (Johnson & Johnson) earned more than AZN with less volatility over the past 5 years. LLY returned 40.7% a year at 32.8% volatility, against 8.7% a year at 35.7%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** CAH (Cardinal Health, health care distribution) and MCK (McKesson, health care distribution) earned more than AZN with less volatility over the past 5 years. CAH returned 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, against 8.7% a year at 35.7%.
  - **Whole market:** 764 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than AZN with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL (Apple), GOOG (Alphabet) and MSFT (Microsoft).

## How much would $10,000 in AZN have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in AZN over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of AZN over the same span and AZN's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in AZN at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $129,591 by September 2026, less than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Six of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of AZN, and GILD finished highest, at $1,571,438.

## AZN at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- AZN's deepest decline since it began trading in 1993 was 48.9%, from October 2006 to March 2009. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, AZN's best was 2003, when it returned 38.2%, and its worst was 2002, when it lost 23.2%. It lost money in seven of those years.
- AZN is 18.9% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Healthcare (Drug Manufacturers - General)
- Trading since: May 12, 1993
- Market value: $262B
- Volatility (5 years): 35.7%; Sharpe ratio: 0.41
- Worst decline ever: −48.9%, from October 25, 2006 to March 5, 2009; back at its high by January 24, 2013

| Period | AZN total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +0.4% |
| 3 months | +3.3% |
| 6 months | −15.3% |
| year to date | −7.0% |
| 1 year | +1.8% |
| 3 years | +38.8% |
| 5 years | +52.1% |
| 10 years | +257% |

## AZN against the whole market

Where AZN ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does AZN rank among all stocks?

This section ranks AZN on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- AZN's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 1% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | AZN | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +1.8% | 1,919 of 3,287 (top 59%) |
| 3-year return | +38.8% | 1,716 of 3,017 (top 57%) |
| 5-year return | +52.1% | 1,078 of 2,893 (top 38%) |
| 10-year return | +257% | 694 of 2,202 (top 32%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 35.7% | 1,181 of 2,893 (top 41%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.41 | 1,197 of 2,893 (top 42%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −28.7% | 11 of 2,187 (top 1%) |

### What has beaten AZN on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 398 stocks and 366 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than AZN over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 21% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half AZN's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 31% less than AZN's 35.7%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.41 for AZN. MPC earned the most, 51.2% a year, while still swinging less than AZN (33.4% against 35.7%).
- Among AZN's popular alternatives, LLY, ABBV and GILD are in the region. LLY earned 40.7% a year against 8.7% a year for AZN, at 32.8% volatility, 8% less than AZN's 35.7%.

### Is there a better investment than AZN?

The table below lists investments that beat AZN over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among AZN's popular alternatives, LLY, ABBV and JNJ earned more than AZN with less volatility over the past 5 years. LLY returned 40.7% a year at 32.8% volatility, against 8.7% a year at 35.7%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CAH (health care distribution) and MCK (health care distribution) earned more than AZN with less volatility over the past 5 years. CAH returned 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, against 8.7% a year at 35.7%.
- Across the whole market, 764 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than AZN with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL, GOOG and MSFT.

The 15 strongest of 764 investments that beat AZN over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with AZN | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AZN: AstraZeneca PLC (this page) |  | +8.7% | 35.7% | 0.41 | −28.7% | +257% |  |  |
| [DFAC](https://easycompare.io/research/dfac): Dimensional - US Core Equity 2 ETF | US Total Market | +11.4% | 17.0% | 0.72 | −23.1% | — | 0.24 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| PJUL: Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF | Broad Market | +10.5% | 8.6% | 1.20 | −18.2% | — | 0.23 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| FJAN: FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - January | Multi-Asset | +11.1% | 10.5% | 1.05 | −13.6% | — | 0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| AVLV: Avantis U.S. Large Cap Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +14.0% | 16.9% | 0.86 | −19.5% | — | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| DTM: DT Midstream, Inc. | Oil & Gas Midstream | +24.5% | 25.2% | 1.00 | −23.6% | — | 0.13 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| BUFR: FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF | Buffered Equity | +9.9% | 10.5% | 0.96 | −13.7% | — | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [MPC](https://easycompare.io/research/mpc): Marathon Petroleum Corporation | Oil & Gas | +51.2% | 33.4% | 1.41 | −79.7% | +1,387% | 0.08 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| JAVA: JPMorgan Active Value ETF | US Large-Cap Value | +11.5% | 14.5% | 0.82 | −16.5% | — |  | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| ACT: Enact Holdings Inc. | Insurance | +20.5% | 24.3% | 0.89 | −20.2% | — | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | Computer Hardware | +18.5% | 28.0% | 0.75 | −38.5% | +1,168% | 0.13 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [GOOG](https://easycompare.io/research/goog): Alphabet Inc. | Internet Services | +19.0% | 32.0% | 0.71 | −44.6% | +752% | 0.16 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [MPLX](https://easycompare.io/research/mplx): MPLX Lp | Oil & Gas Midstream | +23.5% | 18.8% | 1.22 | −75.2% | +350% | 0.28 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | Software | +12.5% | 28.2% | 0.56 | −37.1% | +946% | -0.09 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher return in most periods |
| FTLS: First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF | Broad Market | +10.2% | 10.4% | 0.99 | −20.6% | +158% | 0.17 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## AZN against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against AZN, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do AZN's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Ten of the 21 popular alternatives, led by LLY, ABBV and GILD, were both more rewarding and calmer than AZN over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, AZN returned 8.7% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (35.7% against 17.1%).

### Has AZN consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares AZN with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- 11 of the 21 popular alternatives, led by LLY, ABBV and AMGN, outperformed AZN in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- LLY, ABBV and AMGN outperformed AZN in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- NVS, AMGN and JNJ earned more for the risk they took than AZN (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of AZN | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AZN: AstraZeneca PLC (this page) | +1.8% | +38.8% | +52.1% | +257% |  |  | 0.41 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | +59.7% | +124% | +451% | +1,807% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.21 |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | +28.3% | +118% | +218% | +603% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.11 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | +48.7% | +72.2% | +145% | +266% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.85 |
| [VRTX](https://easycompare.io/research/vrtx): Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | +22.8% | +42.2% | +177% | +521% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.85 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | +26.8% | +49.5% | +15.1% | +366% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.24 |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | +30.3% | +121% | +180% | +200% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.95 |
| [TAK](https://easycompare.io/research/tak): Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited | +48.2% | +56.1% | +75.1% | +30.4% | 5/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.68 |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | +76.8% | +58.3% | +113% | +241% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.74 |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | +18.8% | +75.9% | +121% | +226% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.87 |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | +36.9% | +84.6% | +82.1% | +196% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.76 |
| [GSK](https://easycompare.io/research/gsk): GSK plc | +18.9% | +60.0% | +57.2% | +95.1% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.49 |
| [WAT](https://easycompare.io/research/wat): Waters Corporation | +29.0% | +74.6% | +24.4% | +182% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.30 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | +26.3% | +45.3% | +6.5% | +260% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.21 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | +8.3% | +10.8% | −17.6% | +232% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| ROG: Rogers Corporation | +59.4% | +10.0% | −28.5% | +143% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | +40.7% | +0.8% | +44.9% | +120% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| [PFE](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe): Pfizer Inc. | +30.5% | +19.2% | −8.3% | +55.0% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | +65.8% | −5.6% | −8.8% | −18.9% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.11 |
| [BMY](https://easycompare.io/research/bmy): Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | +47.8% | +25.8% | +30.6% | +74.8% | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| [NVO](https://easycompare.io/research/nvo): Novo Nordisk A/S | −28.5% | −57.0% | −18.5% | +134% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.09 |
| [SNY](https://easycompare.io/research/sny): Sanofi | −13.4% | −10.0% | +3.0% | +61.5% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.15 |

### How did AZN do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where AZN ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- AZN finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 12 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, GILD came out ahead of AZN most often, in 19 of the 29 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, AZN finished in the top quarter in four of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in four. In 2025, it ranked 5 of 22.

| Year | AZN | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +38.0% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | −1.2% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +0.8% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +20.4% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +17.9% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +2.9% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +37.4% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +13.9% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +35.3% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −16.7% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How AZN has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were AZN's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all five of AZN's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: AZN fell 34.2% from October 1999 to February 2000, while the S&P 500 rose 4.6%.
- The slowest recovery came after AZN fell 48.9% from October 2006 to March 2009; it did not regain that peak until January 2013, four years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −48.9% | October 25, 2006 | March 5, 2009 | January 24, 2013 | −47.9% | 2008 financial crisis |
| −43.5% | March 1, 2002 | August 30, 2002 | September 7, 2005 | −18.8% | dot-com bust |
| −34.2% | October 20, 1999 | February 24, 2000 | July 7, 2000 | +4.6% |  |
| −33.7% | April 6, 1998 | October 8, 1998 | October 20, 1999 | −12.9% |  |
| −32.6% | May 1, 2014 | December 7, 2016 | January 3, 2018 | +25.5% | 2015 China and oil sell-off |

### How did AZN do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far AZN, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- Among its popular alternatives, JNJ held up best, falling less than AZN in six of the ten crashes they both traded through.
- AZN fell less than the S&P 500 in six of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when AZN fell 37.4% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

| Crash | Dates | AZN fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −43.5% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −37.4% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −1.1% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −16.4% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −18.0% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −6.4% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −11.4% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −22.6% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −25.7% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −0.5% | −3.4% |

### How closely does AZN move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, AZN captured 60% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 39% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.39. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- Only LLY, VRTX and ABBV had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than AZN's 1.52, out of 21 popular alternatives with the same record.
- LLY took just 6% of the S&P 500's losses, against 39% for AZN, while still keeping 101% of its gains.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AZN: AstraZeneca PLC (this page) | 60.0% | 39.0% | 0.39 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | 101% | 6.0% | 0.37 |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | 92.0% | 57.0% | 0.54 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | 74.0% | 64.0% | 0.54 |
| [VRTX](https://easycompare.io/research/vrtx): Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | 87.0% | 50.0% | 0.46 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | 104% | 104% | 0.81 |
| [GILD](https://easycompare.io/research/gild): Gilead Sciences, Inc. | 52.0% | 36.0% | 0.35 |
| [TAK](https://easycompare.io/research/tak): Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited | 34.0% | 58.0% | 0.44 |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | 64.0% | 46.0% | 0.30 |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | 69.0% | 64.0% | 0.49 |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | 64.0% | 53.0% | 0.46 |
| [GSK](https://easycompare.io/research/gsk): GSK plc | 51.0% | 61.0% | 0.52 |
| [WAT](https://easycompare.io/research/wat): Waters Corporation | 107% | 139% | 1.01 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | 128% | 167% | 1.31 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | 84.0% | 84.0% | 0.75 |
| ROG: Rogers Corporation | 90.0% | 114% | 1.10 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 55.0% | 66.0% | 0.19 |
| [PFE](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe): Pfizer Inc. | 52.0% | 81.0% | 0.54 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | 35.0% | 91.0% | 0.28 |
| [BMY](https://easycompare.io/research/bmy): Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | 55.0% | 75.0% | 0.41 |
| [NVO](https://easycompare.io/research/nvo): Novo Nordisk A/S | 75.0% | 94.0% | 0.60 |
| [SNY](https://easycompare.io/research/sny): Sanofi | 53.0% | 74.0% | 0.46 |

### What diversifies AZN?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in AZN into DXJ would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 16% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+7.8% for AZN alone, +11.9% for the mix).
- FIX made money in five of the seven calendar years in which AZN lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of AZN over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.47 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with AZN | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in AZN's 7 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.47 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 1 of 7 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.30 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 2 of 7 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.39 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 7 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.47 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 2 of 7 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.10 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 3 of 7 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.43 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 2 of 7 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.23 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 3 of 7 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.17 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 7 |

## Common questions

### What was AZN's worst drawdown?

AZN's deepest decline since it began trading in 1993 was 48.9%, from October 2006 to March 2009. It took about four years from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were AZN's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, AZN's best year was 2003, when it returned 38.2%. Its worst was 2002, with a return of -23.2%.

### Is there a better investment than AZN?

Among AZN's popular alternatives, LLY, ABBV and JNJ earned more than AZN with less volatility over the past 5 years. LLY returned 40.7% a year at 32.8% volatility, against 8.7% a year at 35.7%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CAH (health care distribution) and MCK (health care distribution) earned more than AZN with less volatility over the past 5 years. CAH returned 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, against 8.7% a year at 35.7%.

### Is AZN more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. AZN's volatility over the past 5 years was 35.7%, about twice the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, AZN's return lands within 35.7% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is AZN's Sharpe ratio?

AZN's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.41, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so AZN earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is AZN with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, AZN's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.22 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They are only loosely linked, which makes it a real diversifier next to an index fund. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against AZN instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a AZN holding.

### What are the best alternatives to AZN?

Of the 21 popular alternatives we compared, 11 outperformed AZN in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: LLY, ABBV and AMGN.

### Did AZN outperform the S&P 500?

AZN finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 12 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +38.0%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did AZN do in stock market crashes?

AZN fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in six of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in two. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when AZN fell 37.4% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies AZN?

These had a low correlation with AZN over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.47), DXJ (correlation 0.30) and EMLP (correlation 0.39); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.27), CLS (correlation -0.00) and FIX (correlation 0.09). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

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- [Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj)
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## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/azn
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against AZN live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=AZN&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research