ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires 18,619 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN - Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 749,319 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 18,619 shares during the quarter. AstraZeneca comprises 2.2% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $55,075,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AZN. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 189.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 24,026,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,574,247,000 after purchasing an additional 15,722,197 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $254,018,000. Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 9,985.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,707,479 shares of the company's stock valued at $243,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,670,719 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AstraZeneca in the fourth quarter valued at $158,018,000. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its stake in shares of AstraZeneca by 220.8% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 3,027,511 shares of the company's stock valued at $198,363,000 after purchasing an additional 2,083,645 shares in the last quarter. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AstraZeneca Price Performance

NASDAQ:AZN traded down $1.53 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $69.60. The company had a trading volume of 6,768,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,264,380. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $70.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.60. AstraZeneca PLC has a one year low of $61.24 and a one year high of $87.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.85 billion, a PE ratio of 16.08, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.14. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 33.14% and a net margin of 14.14%. The firm had revenue of $13.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.06 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on AstraZeneca in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $75.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AstraZeneca presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $85.00.

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.