AQR Capital Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Zebra Technologies Corporation $ZBRA

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Zebra Technologies Corporation by 381.6%, acquiring 201,652 shares worth approximately $55.89 million.
• Zebra Technologies reported earnings of $3.61 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, and announced a share repurchase plan allowing up to $250 million in stock buybacks.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Zebra Technologies, with an average price target of $357.44, reflecting positive outlooks from several major firms.

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:ZBRA - Free Report) by 381.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 201,652 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 159,781 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.39% of Zebra Technologies worth $55,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ardsley Advisory Partners LP bought a new stake in Zebra Technologies in the 1st quarter worth about $1,130,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Zebra Technologies by 76.1% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,316 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,502,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Zebra Technologies in the 1st quarter worth about $99,995,000. Amundi grew its position in Zebra Technologies by 42.1% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 122,582 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $34,637,000 after purchasing an additional 36,330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its position in Zebra Technologies by 50.1% in the 1st quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 124,911 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $35,295,000 after purchasing an additional 41,700 shares in the last quarter. 91.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Zebra Technologies Stock Performance

ZBRA traded down $1.63 on Tuesday, hitting $312.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 426,035 shares, compared to its average volume of 466,388. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $322.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $292.49. The firm has a market cap of $15.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.48 and a beta of 1.78. Zebra Technologies Corporation has a 12 month low of $205.73 and a 12 month high of $427.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ:ZBRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The industrial products company reported $3.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.31 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. Zebra Technologies had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 18.95%. Zebra Technologies's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.18 EPS. Zebra Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.250-15.750 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 3.600-3.800 EPS. Analysts forecast that Zebra Technologies Corporation will post 13.71 EPS for the current year.

Zebra Technologies announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 5th that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the industrial products company to repurchase up to 1.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ZBRA. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Zebra Technologies from $320.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Zebra Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Zebra Technologies from $269.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $342.00 target price (up from $280.00) on shares of Zebra Technologies in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Zebra Technologies from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Zebra Technologies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $357.44.

Zebra Technologies Profile

Zebra Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides enterprise asset intelligence solutions in the automatic identification and data capture solutions industry worldwide. It operates in two segments, Asset Intelligence & Tracking, and Enterprise Visibility & Mobility. The company designs, manufactures, and sells printers that produce labels, wristbands, tickets, receipts, and plastic cards; dye-sublimination thermal card printers that produce images, which are used for personal identification, access control, and financial transactions; radio frequency identification device (RFID) printers that encode data into passive RFID transponders; accessories and options for printers, including carrying cases, vehicle mounts, and battery chargers; stock and customized thermal labels, receipts, ribbons, plastic cards, and RFID tags for printers; and temperature-monitoring labels primarily used in vaccine distribution.