ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Lowers Holdings in Astrazeneca Plc $AZN

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its holdings in Astrazeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 763,309 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,973 shares during the period. Astrazeneca makes up 2.5% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Astrazeneca were worth $70,171,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Binnacle Investments Inc raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 21.8% in the third quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. raised its stake in Astrazeneca by 3.3% in the third quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 3,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,722 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,283,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 30.6% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Astrazeneca by 32.0% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 20.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZN has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Astrazeneca from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy (b)” rating on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Astrazeneca in a report on Friday, February 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Astrazeneca has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.67.

Astrazeneca Price Performance

AZN stock opened at $204.37 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $316.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.35. Astrazeneca Plc has a one year low of $132.32 and a one year high of $212.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Astrazeneca Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 20th were given a $1.595 dividend. This represents a yield of 156.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. Astrazeneca’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.83%.

Astrazeneca Profile

AstraZeneca plc is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Formed through the 1999 merger of Sweden’s Astra AB and the UK’s Zeneca Group, the company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. AstraZeneca positions itself as R&D-driven, investing in discovery science, clinical development and regulatory processes to bring new therapies to market.

The company’s commercial portfolio and late-stage pipeline emphasize oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic (CVRM) diseases, and respiratory and immunology.