ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires 558 Shares of AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its holdings in AstraZeneca PLC (NASDAQ:AZN) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 618,569 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the period. AstraZeneca accounts for 2.1% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in AstraZeneca were worth $41,661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in AstraZeneca by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,336 shares of the company’s stock worth $359,000 after acquiring an additional 939 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in AstraZeneca by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 181,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc raised its stake in AstraZeneca by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 10,004 shares of the company’s stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. lifted its position in AstraZeneca by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 9,399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $633,000 after purchasing an additional 592 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AstraZeneca in the 4th quarter worth about $139,000. 20.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AstraZeneca Stock Performance

AZN stock traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $68.55. The stock had a trading volume of 4,735,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,158,956. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.88. The stock has a market cap of $212.53 billion, a PE ratio of 35.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.50. AstraZeneca PLC has a 52-week low of $60.47 and a 52-week high of $76.56.

AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $12.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.07 billion. AstraZeneca had a return on equity of 30.19% and a net margin of 13.00%. AstraZeneca’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AstraZeneca PLC will post 4.02 EPS for the current year.

AstraZeneca Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.965 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from AstraZeneca’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.47. AstraZeneca’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on AstraZeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of AstraZeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of AstraZeneca from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $80.00.

About AstraZeneca

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.