How to buy CSL shares | A$296.34

CSL Limited is a biotechnology business based in Australia. CSL shares (CSL) are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and all prices are listed in Australian Dollars. Its last market close was $296.34 – a decrease of 0.89% over the previous week. CSL has a trailing 12-month revenue of around $9.2 billion.

How to buy shares in CSL

1. Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares listed in Australia, you'll need to sign up to a broker with access to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Our table below can help you choose.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, PayPal or debit card.
3. Search for CSL. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: CSL. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until CSL reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. At today's price of $296.34, weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of CSL. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

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For our Top Picks, we compared our Finder partners using a proprietary algorithm in August 2020. Keep in mind that our top picks may not always be the best for you, and you're encouraged to compare for yourself to find one that works for you. Read our full methodology here to find out more.

How has coronavirus impacted CSL's share price?

Since the stock market crash in March caused by coronavirus, CSL's share price has had significant negative movement.

Its last market close was $296.34, which is 11.91% down on its pre-crash value of $336.4 and 22.12% up on the lowest point reached during the March crash when the shares fell as low as $242.67.

If you had bought $1,000 worth of CSL shares at the start of February 2020, those shares would have been worth $905.99 at the bottom of the March crash, and if you held on to them, then as of the last market close they'd be worth $951.25.

CSL share price

Use our graph to track the performance of CSL stocks over time.

CSL shares at a glance

• Key figures

Information last updated 2020-10-20.

Latest market close	AUDA$296.34
52-week range	AUDA$247 - AUDA$342.75
50-day moving average	AUDA$290.1467
200-day moving average	AUDA$293.2753
Target price	AUDA$151.95
PE ratio	44.7602
Dividend yield	AUDA$2.94 (0.98%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	AUDA$4.615

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The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.

Is it a good time to buy CSL stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Technical Analysis of CSL Limited by TradingView

CSL price performance over time

Historical closes compared with the close of A$296.34 on 2020-10-22

1 week (2020-10-22)	0%
1 month (2020-09-29)	0.27%
3 months (2020-07-29)	9.61%
6 months (2020-04-29)	-6.10%

1 year (2019-10-29)	15.37%
2 years (2018-10-29)	61.58%
3 years (2017-10-27)	112.69%
5 years (2015-10-29)	218.85%

Is CSL under- or over-valued?

Valuing CSL stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of CSL's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

CSL's P/E ratio

CSL's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 45x. In other words, CSL shares trade at around 45x recent earnings.

That's relatively high compared to, say, the P/E ratio for the ASX over the 12 months to December 2019 (32.14). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.

CSL's EBITDA

CSL's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is $3.1 billion.

The EBITDA is a measure of a CSL's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

CSL financials

Revenue TTM	$9.2 billion
Operating margin TTM	29.69%
Gross profit TTM	$5.2 billion
Return on assets TTM	12.22%
Return on equity TTM	35.7%
Profit margin	22.98%
Book value	14.376
Market capitalisation	$137 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

CSL's environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like CSL.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

CSL's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 27.73

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and CSL's overall score of 27.73 (as at 09/30/2020) is pretty good – landing it in it in the 40th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like CSL is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

CSL's environmental score

Environmental score: 3.04/100

CSL's environmental score of 3.04 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that CSL is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

CSL's social score

Social score: 18.57/100

CSL's social score of 18.57 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that CSL is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

CSL's governance score

Governance score: 11.12/100

CSL's governance score puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that CSL is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

CSL's controversy score

Controversy score: 2/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. CSL scored a 2 out of 5 for controversy – the second-highest score possible, reflecting that CSL has, for the most part, managed to keep its nose clean.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

CSL Limited was last rated for ESG on: 2020-10-01.

Total ESG score	27.73
Total ESG percentile	39.7
Environmental score	3.04
Environmental score percentile	5
Social score	18.57
Social score percentile	5
Governance score	11.12
Governance score percentile	5
Level of controversy	2

CSL share dividends

Dividend payout ratio: 43.51% of net profits

Recently CSL has paid out, on average, around 43.51% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 0.98% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), CSL shareholders could enjoy a 0.98% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In CSL's case, that would currently equate to about A$2.94 per share.

While CSL's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that CSL may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.

The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 9 September 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").

Have CSL's shares ever split?

CSL's shares were split on a 3:1 basis on 17 October 2007. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 3 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your CSL shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 66.7% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for CSL shares which in turn could have impacted CSL's share price.

CSL share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, CSL's shares have ranged in value from as little as $247 up to $342.75. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (AU average) beta is 1, while CSL's is 0.1533. This would suggest that CSL's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).

CSL overview

CSL Limited researches, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes biopharmaceutical and allied products in Australia, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, China, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, CSL Behring and Seqirus. The CSL Behring segment offers plasma therapies for the treatment of immunodeficiency, bleeding disorders, hereditary angioedema, Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and neurological disorders. This segment also conducts research on plasma and non-plasma therapies; and receives license and royalty from the commercialization of intellectual property. The Seqirus segment manufactures and distributes non-plasma biotherapeutic products; and develops influenza vaccines. CSL Limited was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Parkville, Australia.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of CSL is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 0.237% of CSL shares are held by insiders and 28.38% by institutions.

• When does the fiscal year end for CSL?

  CSL's fiscal year ends in June.

• Where is CSL based?

  CSL's address is: 45 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, Australia, 3052

• What is CSL's ISIN number?

  CSL's international securities identification number is: AU000000CSL8