AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) Position Raised by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 730,700 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 74,529 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca comprises 2.0% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $47,875,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of AstraZeneca by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in AstraZeneca by 36.5% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,000 after purchasing an additional 712 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in AstraZeneca by 34.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 16,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,051,000 after buying an additional 4,153 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its position in AstraZeneca by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clarius Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 10,542 shares of the company’s stock valued at $691,000 after buying an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AZN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group upgraded AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AstraZeneca has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

AZN opened at $66.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $206.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.87, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $66.11 and a 200-day moving average of $74.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. AstraZeneca PLC has a 12-month low of $60.47 and a 12-month high of $87.68.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.03. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 12.68%. The firm had revenue of $13.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AstraZeneca Company Profile

AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company’s marketed products include Tagrisso, Imfinzi, Lynparza, Calquence, Enhertu, Orpathys, Truqap, Zoladex, Faslodex, Farxiga, Brilinta, Lokelma, Roxadustat, Andexxa, Crestor, Seloken, Onglyza, Bydureon, Fasenra, Breztri, Symbicort, Saphnelo, Tezspire, Pulmicort, Bevespi, and Daliresp for cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and oncology.