Swiss National Bank Sells 9,400 Shares of Azenta, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZTA)

Swiss National Bank lessened its position in Azenta, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZTA) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.19% of Azenta worth $4,330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Azenta by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,686,993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,718,000 after buying an additional 6,398 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Azenta by 65.0% during the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,577,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,894,000 after purchasing an additional 621,830 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Azenta by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,317,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,922,000 after purchasing an additional 18,529 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Azenta by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 461,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,080,000 after purchasing an additional 48,064 shares during the period. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in Azenta by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 434,597 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,052,000 after buying an additional 34,849 shares during the period. 99.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Azenta Stock Performance

Shares of AZTA opened at $37.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.47 and a beta of 1.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $46.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.49. Azenta, Inc. has a 52 week low of $35.56 and a 52 week high of $63.58.

Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.03. Azenta had a negative net margin of 24.91% and a positive return on equity of 1.25%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Azenta, Inc. will post 0.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AZTA. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Azenta to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Azenta from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Azenta in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC boosted their target price on Azenta from $55.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.75.

Azenta Profile

Azenta, Inc provides biological and chemical compound sample exploration and management solutions for the life sciences market in North America, Africa, China, the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. The company operates in two reportable segments, Life Sciences Products and Life Sciences Services.