Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Sells 2,047 Shares of Azenta, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZTA)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC decreased its position in shares of Azenta, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZTA) by 32.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,251 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,047 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Azenta were worth $213,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AZTA. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Azenta during the fourth quarter worth $813,000. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Azenta by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 20,340 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Azenta during the fourth quarter worth about $200,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Azenta in the 4th quarter worth about $927,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Azenta by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 84,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,326,000 after acquiring an additional 4,606 shares in the last quarter. 99.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Azenta Stock Performance

Azenta stock opened at $45.32 on Thursday. Azenta, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.82 and a fifty-two week high of $67.77. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $50.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.74. The stock has a market cap of $2.07 billion, a PE ratio of -15.21 and a beta of 1.47.

Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.03. Azenta had a positive return on equity of 1.25% and a negative net margin of 24.91%. As a group, analysts predict that Azenta, Inc. will post 0.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Marotta purchased 12,717 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.48 per share, for a total transaction of $502,067.16. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 99,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,932,681.76. This trade represents a 14.63 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William L. Cornog acquired 12,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.60 per share, for a total transaction of $495,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 14,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $584,298. The trade was a 554.32 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,423 shares of company stock valued at $57,020. Insiders own 10.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on AZTA shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Azenta from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Needham & Company LLC lifted 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. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Azenta in a report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Azenta Company 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.