Health Care · Shares inside your ETFs
AstraZeneca in your ETF: how much you own, and the share price
AstraZeneca is the third-largest company in the FTSE 100, so a UK index fund holds more of it than a health care fund does. Here’s its share price, where its shares trade, and how much of it sits inside the ETFs UK investors can buy.
By The Off-Duty Economist Last reviewed Fund holdings to 31 August 2026
The short version
- AstraZeneca was the third-largest holding in every FTSE 100 ETF at the end of August 2026, at about 6.9%. So £1,000 in a FTSE 100 ETF puts about £69 into AstraZeneca.
- That's more than twice what a world health care ETF holds, about 2.9%. A world ETF holds about 0.25%.
- Its shares trade in London, Stockholm and, since February 2026, directly on the New York Stock Exchange. Its London listing was unaffected.
- It's in the Health Care sector, which was 11.5% of a FTSE 100 ETF on 13 October 2026.
Part of Shares inside your ETFs, which covers one company from each of the 11 stock market sectors. New to funds? Start with what an ETF is.
- 6.9%of a FTSE 100 ETF is AstraZeneca, its third-largest holding (31 August 2026)
- £69of every £1,000 in a FTSE 100 ETF goes into AstraZeneca
- 2.9%of a world health care ETF is AstraZeneca, less than half as much
AstraZeneca's share price today
AstraZeneca’s shares trade on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker AZN, so the price is in pence. They also trade in Stockholm and New York under the same ticker.
AstraZeneca (AZN) live share price
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Your choice is remembered on this device. Prices are in pence (GBX).
Which ETFs hold AstraZeneca?
Every fund that tracks the UK stock market holds AstraZeneca, and so does every world health care fund. The table shows nine ETFs that UK investors can buy on the London Stock Exchange, with AstraZeneca’s share of each.
It’s a list of which funds hold AstraZeneca and how much, not a list of funds to buy. Each fund’s name links to its full profile.
| Fund | What it tracks | London tickers | AstraZeneca's share | AstraZeneca in every £1,000 | Yearly charge | Fund size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBS MSCI United Kingdom UCITS ETF GBP acc | MSCI United Kingdom (large and mid-sized UK companies) | UC64 | 7.60% | £76 | 0.20% | £1.8bn |
| HSBC FTSE 100 UCITS ETF | FTSE 100 | HUKX | 6.98% | £70 | 0.07% | £861m |
| iShares Core FTSE 100 UCITS ETF (Dist) | FTSE 100 | ISF | 6.89% | £69 | 0.07% | £16.2bn |
| Vanguard FTSE 100 UCITS ETF (GBP) Distributing | FTSE 100 | VUKE | 6.87% | £69 | 0.09% | £4.6bn |
| State Street SPDR MSCI World Health Care UCITS ETF | Health care companies in the MSCI World | HEAW / WHEA | 2.90% | £29 | 0.30% | £532m |
| Xtrackers MSCI World Health Care UCITS ETF 1C | Health care companies in the MSCI World | XWHS / XDWH | 2.88% | £29 | 0.25% | £3.1bn |
| iShares MSCI World Health Care Sector Advanced UCITS ETF (Acc) | Health care companies in the MSCI World, with ESG screens and caps | WHCA | 2.74% | £27 | 0.18% | £345m |
| iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ETF USD (Acc) | MSCI World (developed markets) | SWDA / IWDA | 0.26% | £3 | 0.20% | £112.8bn |
| Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF (USD) Distributing | FTSE All-World (developed and emerging markets) | VWRL / VWRD | 0.22% | £2 | 0.14% | £20.5bn |
Holdings are as at 31 August 2026 (28 August for HSBC FTSE 100). The iShares Core MSCI World figure is from iShares’ full holdings list on 13 October 2026, and the Vanguard FTSE All-World figure from Vanguard’s holdings data at 31 August 2026. The accumulating versions of the iShares and Vanguard FTSE 100 funds (tickers CUKX and VUKG) hold the same. Fund sizes are in pounds. Where a fund has two London tickers, the first is priced in pounds or pence and the second in US dollars.
AstraZeneca is a bigger slice of a FTSE 100 ETF than of a world health care ETF
AstraZeneca's share of each fund's holdings
- UK index funds
- World health care funds
- Global index funds
Source: fund holdings from justETF, plus fund providers' full holdings lists where shown in the sources, consulted 14 October 2026. Holdings as at 31 August 2026 (28 August for HSBC FTSE 100, 13 October for iShares Core MSCI World). Weights change every day. Chart: Invest in ETFs.
Show the data
| Fund (ticker) | AstraZeneca's share | In every £1,000 | Holdings as at |
|---|---|---|---|
| UBS MSCI UK (UC64) | 7.60% | £76 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| HSBC FTSE 100 (HUKX) | 6.98% | £70 | 28 Aug 2026 |
| iShares Core FTSE 100 (ISF) | 6.89% | £69 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Vanguard FTSE 100 (VUKE) | 6.87% | £69 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| SPDR World Health Care (HEAW) | 2.90% | £29 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Xtrackers World Health Care (XWHS) | 2.88% | £29 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| iShares World Health Care Advanced (WHCA) | 2.74% | £27 | 31 Aug 2026 |
| iShares Core MSCI World (SWDA) | 0.26% | £3 | 13 Oct 2026 |
| Vanguard FTSE All-World (VWRL) | 0.22% | £2 | 31 Aug 2026 |
Amundi’s world health care ETF, which tracks its index through a swap rather than owning the shares, is left out: justETF shows its index’s holdings, not the fund’s own.
Why a UK fund holds more AstraZeneca than a health care fund
AstraZeneca was the third-largest holding in every FTSE 100 ETF at the end of August 2026, behind HSBC and Shell. In a world health care ETF it was about 2.9%, the eighth-largest holding.
That surprises people, but it’s how index funds work. A FTSE 100 fund holds only UK companies, and AstraZeneca is one of the biggest of them. A world health care fund holds about 110 companies from across the developed world, and seven of them were bigger holdings than AstraZeneca at the end of August, so its slice is smaller.
So the type of fund can matter more than its label. A UK tracker can hold more of a single drug company than a health care fund does. If AstraZeneca’s shares fell by a fifth, that alone would take about 1.4% off a FTSE 100 ETF, and about 0.6% off a world health care ETF.
London, Stockholm and New York
AstraZeneca is incorporated in England and Wales. Its shares trade under the ticker AZN in London, priced in pence, and in Stockholm. Since 2 February 2026 they’ve also traded directly on the New York Stock Exchange.
Before that, US investors bought American Depositary Receipts on Nasdaq. AstraZeneca proposed the change in September 2025, saying it would continue to be listed, headquartered and tax resident in the UK, and shareholders approved it on 3 November 2025 with 99.36% of votes in favour.
For funds tracking UK shares nothing changed: AstraZeneca said its London and Stockholm listings were unaffected.
AstraZeneca in health care funds
Under GICS, the sector system MSCI and S&P use, AstraZeneca is in the Health Care sector, as a pharmaceuticals company. It was the ninth-largest company in the MSCI World Health Care Index on 30 September 2026, at 2.97%.
AstraZeneca’s 2025 annual report gives its total shareholder return over 2023 to 2025 as 32%, measured on three-month averages. One period’s return says nothing about the next.
A health care fund holds companies from one sector only, so it’s more concentrated than a broad index fund and can rise and fall further.
AstraZeneca and the Health Care sector
Health Care covers drug and biotechnology companies, makers of medical equipment and supplies, and health care providers and services. It was 11.5% of a FTSE 100 ETF on 13 October 2026, 9.1% of a world ETF and 9.1% of an S&P 500 ETF, using GICS sectors.
AstraZeneca is one company in our series picking one share from each of the 11 stock market sectors. See all 11 sectors and what each one covers.
AstraZeneca shares or an ETF that holds AstraZeneca?
You can own AstraZeneca directly, by buying its shares, or indirectly, through a fund. Here’s how the two compare for a UK investor, using a FTSE 100 ETF as the example.
| AstraZeneca shares | A FTSE 100 ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| What you own | Part of one company | Part of about 100 UK companies, with AstraZeneca about 7% |
| If AstraZeneca's shares fell by a fifth | Your holding falls by a fifth | AstraZeneca's fall alone takes about 1.4% off the fund |
| Where it trades | London Stock Exchange, in pence | London Stock Exchange, in pounds or pence |
| Stamp duty | 0.5% stamp duty reserve tax when you buy UK shares electronically | None on ETFs (what an ETF costs) |
| Dividends | Whatever AstraZeneca decides to pay | Dividends from about 100 companies, paid out or reinvested |
| In a stocks and shares ISA | Yes | Yes |
| Yearly cost of holding | No fund charge; platform fees may apply | From 0.07% a year, plus platform fees |
Common questions
- Why does my FTSE 100 ETF hold more AstraZeneca than a health care ETF?
- Because a FTSE 100 fund holds only UK companies, and AstraZeneca is one of the biggest. A world health care fund holds about 110 companies worldwide, several of them bigger than AstraZeneca.
- Is AstraZeneca leaving London?
- No. It added a direct listing in New York in February 2026, but said it would continue to be listed, headquartered and tax resident in the UK, and its London listing was unaffected.
- What is AstraZeneca’s ticker?
- AZN, in London, Stockholm and New York. In London the shares are priced in pence.
- Which ETFs hold the most AstraZeneca?
- Of the funds above, the UK funds: about 6.9% to 7.6% at the end of August 2026. World health care funds hold about 2.7% to 2.9%, and a world fund about 0.25%.
- Can AstraZeneca shares go in an ISA?
- Yes. Shares count for a stocks and shares ISA if they’re officially listed on a recognised stock exchange, and the London Stock Exchange is one. The ETFs in the table can go in an ISA too.
Before you rely on this page
Sources
- justETF fund profiles for the funds in the table, linked from each fund's name. Consulted 14 October 2026; holdings as at the dates given. Plus iShares' full holdings list for the Core MSCI World ETF (13 October 2026) and Vanguard's holdings data for the FTSE All-World ETF (31 August 2026).
- AstraZeneca PLC, Annual Report 2025 (incorporation, total shareholder return); announcements of 29 September 2025, 3 November 2025 (result of general meeting) and 2 February 2026
- London Stock Exchange, AstraZeneca PLC company page, 14 October 2026
- MSCI, MSCI World Health Care Index factsheet, 30 September 2026
- Sector weights of the iShares Core S&P 500, Core MSCI World and Core FTSE 100 ETFs, BlackRock, as of 13 October 2026
- HM Revenue & Customs, stocks and shares investments for ISA managers; GOV.UK, tax when you buy shares
Sources checked 14 October 2026. Live prices from TradingView.