Wall Street Zen Upgrades Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA) to "Buy"

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Azenta from “Hold” to “Buy.” Jefferies and Needham also reiterated Buy ratings and raised their price targets to $52 and $57, respectively.
• Despite the upgrades, analyst sentiment overall remains a consensus “Hold,” with a consensus price target of $47.60.
• Azenta beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $0.28 versus $0.11 expected and revenue of $167.1 million versus $160.2 million expected.

Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Azenta from $44.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on Azenta from $37.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Azenta from a "sell (e+)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $47.60.

Azenta Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZTA opened at $45.65 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.61 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.56. Azenta has a one year low of $15.93 and a one year high of $50.06.

Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 10th. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $167.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $160.16 million. Azenta had a negative net margin of 26.86% and a positive return on equity of 1.41%. As a group, analysts expect that Azenta will post 0.69 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Azenta

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Azenta in the 2nd quarter worth about $192,152,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Azenta by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 992,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,633,000 after purchasing an additional 4,187 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Azenta by 16.3% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,613,914 shares of the company's stock worth $34,183,000 after purchasing an additional 225,867 shares during the period. Front Street Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Azenta during the second quarter worth approximately $33,212,000. Finally, American Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Azenta by 26.9% during the first quarter. American Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,296,024 shares of the company's stock worth $27,385,000 after purchasing an additional 274,588 shares during the period. 99.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Azenta

Here are a few of the latest stories about AZTA:

• Positive Sentiment: Better-than-expected quarterly results helped fuel buying: Azenta reported earnings of $0.28 per share versus analysts’ $0.11 estimate, and revenue of $167.1 million, above the $160.2 million consensus. Shares subsequently reached a 52-week high. Article: Azenta Reaches New 52-Week High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target to $57 from $37 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling greater optimism about potential upside. Article: Needham Raises Azenta Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighted commercial execution and new gene-synthesis capabilities as factors supporting Azenta’s outlook. KeyCorp’s estimates call for $0.69 EPS in FY2027 and $0.84 in FY2028; these are analyst forecasts, not company guidance. Article: Azenta Q3 Deep Dive

Azenta Company Profile

Azenta, Inc. provides products and services for life sciences research and the management of biological samples. Its offerings include automated sample storage systems, laboratory automation equipment, consumables, and software used to track and manage samples. The company also provides genomic services through GENEWIZ, including sequencing and other genetic analysis services for researchers and organizations in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries. Azenta was formed in 2021 when Brooks Automation separated its life sciences business and adopted the Azenta name.

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