26,932 Astrazeneca Plc $AZN Shares Purchased by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel increased its AstraZeneca stake by 6.8% in the third quarter, purchasing 26,932 additional shares. The firm now owns 422,910 shares valued at approximately $68.3 million.
• AstraZeneca shares opened at $162.21, with the stock up 4.1%; it has a market capitalization of about $251.6 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.25.
• The company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.63 in earnings per share versus the $2.50 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $206.67.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN - Free Report) by 6.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 422,910 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 26,932 shares during the quarter. Astrazeneca makes up approximately 1.9% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $68,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in Astrazeneca by 14.0% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 2.1% during the third quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 16,262 shares of the company's stock worth $2,648,000 after buying an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 7.8% during the third quarter. Orca Wealth Management LLC now owns 37,436 shares of the company's stock worth $6,045,000 after buying an additional 2,720 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 32.6% during the third quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 252 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Astrazeneca by 6.1% during the third quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,821 shares of the company's stock worth $1,263,000 after buying an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Astrazeneca Stock Up 4.1%

NYSE:AZN opened at $162.21 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $161.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $176.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.67. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $153.41 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a market cap of $251.57 billion, a PE ratio of 24.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.27.

Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $2.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.50 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $15.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.44 billion. Astrazeneca had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.17 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Astrazeneca Plc will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, June 26th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Astrazeneca from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Astrazeneca from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.67.

About Astrazeneca

AstraZeneca PLC is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Its research, development and commercial operations focus on prescription medicines for serious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on discovering and delivering innovative therapies rather than operating as a diversified healthcare conglomerate.

The company's principal therapeutic areas include oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunological conditions; and rare diseases.

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