ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Has $411,000 Stock Holdings in Align Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALGN)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its stake in Align Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALGN) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,500 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock after selling 84 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Align Technology were worth $411,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its stake in Align Technology by 39.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 934 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Align Technology by 11.1% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 180,978 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $78,911,000 after buying an additional 18,153 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in Align Technology during the first quarter worth approximately $955,000. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in Align Technology by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 1,713 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $747,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Align Technology by 17.1% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 526 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. 88.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ALGN shares. SVB Leerink started coverage on shares of Align Technology in a research note on Monday, February 26th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $310.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on Align Technology from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Leerink Partnrs reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Align Technology in a report on Monday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Align Technology from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Align Technology from $335.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Align Technology presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $344.45.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Joseph Lacob sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.01, for a total value of $3,130,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 146,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,010,591.94. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Emory Wright sold 2,524 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.45, for a total value of $725,523.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,802.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Joseph Lacob sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.01, for a total value of $3,130,100.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 146,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,010,591.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,524 shares of company stock worth $8,403,924. 0.64% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Align Technology Stock Performance

Shares of ALGN stock traded down $2.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $298.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 520,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 520,035. The company has a market cap of $22.50 billion, a PE ratio of 51.37, a P/E/G ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 1.65. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $312.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $270.18. Align Technology, Inc. has a 52 week low of $176.34 and a 52 week high of $413.20.

Align Technology (NASDAQ:ALGN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The medical equipment provider reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $956.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $928.57 million. Align Technology had a return on equity of 13.88% and a net margin of 11.52%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Align Technology, Inc. will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

About Align Technology

Align Technology, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets Invisalign clear aligners, and iTero intraoral scanners and services for orthodontists and general practitioner dentists in the United States, Switzerland, and internationally. The company's Clear Aligner segment offers comprehensive products, including Invisalign comprehensive package that addresses the orthodontic needs of younger patients, such as mandibular advancement, compliance indicators, and compensation for tooth eruption; and Invisalign First Phase I and Invisalign First Comprehensive Phase 2 package for younger patients generally between the ages of six and ten years, which is a mixture of primary/baby and permanent teeth.