Caxton Associates LLP Acquires Shares of 38,891 Azenta, Inc. $AZTA

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP has taken a new position in Azenta, Inc. by purchasing 38,891 shares valued at approximately $1,347,000, representing 0.08% of the company’s stock.
• Institutional ownership of Azenta is notably high, with 99.08% of the company's stock held by institutional investors and hedge funds, contributing to significant ownership changes in the fourth quarter by several firms.
• Research analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" for Azenta, with an average price target of $35.75, highlighting mixed sentiment in the market despite a recent earnings report that beat expectations.

Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Azenta, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZTA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 38,891 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,347,000. Caxton Associates LLP owned approximately 0.08% of Azenta as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in shares of Azenta by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,199 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 931 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Azenta by 90.6% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 30,972 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,073,000 after purchasing an additional 14,719 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Azenta by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 226,491 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,846,000 after purchasing an additional 5,408 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Azenta by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 108,175 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,409,000 after purchasing an additional 17,899 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Azenta during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $11,604,000. 99.08% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZTA. Raymond James Financial raised Azenta from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Evercore ISI set a $33.00 price objective on Azenta and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on Azenta in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $35.75.

Azenta Stock Performance

NASDAQ AZTA traded down $1.55 on Friday, hitting $29.66. 445,528 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 445,622. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $31.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.26 and a beta of 1.65. Azenta, Inc. has a 52-week low of $23.91 and a 52-week high of $55.63.

Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.13 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $143.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.64 million. Azenta had a positive return on equity of 1.35% and a negative net margin of 18.45%.Azenta's quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Azenta, Inc. will post 0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.