AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 43,375 Shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC $JAZZ

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC has reduced its stake in Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC by 8.1%, now holding 490,307 shares valued at approximately $59.8 million.
• Jazz Pharmaceuticals reported a disappointing EPS of ($8.25) for the most recent quarter, missing analysts' expectations, despite revenue remaining consistent at $1.05 billion.
• Analysts have remained optimistic, with several firms raising their price targets for Jazz Pharmaceuticals, indicating a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $178.67.

AQR Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC (NASDAQ:JAZZ - Free Report) by 8.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 490,307 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock after selling 43,375 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.80% of Jazz Pharmaceuticals worth $59,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JAZZ. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 14.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,328,430 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $289,066,000 after purchasing an additional 293,360 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,662,042 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $206,343,000 after purchasing an additional 74,501 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 41.7% during the 1st quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,331,011 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $165,245,000 after acquiring an additional 391,660 shares in the last quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP increased its position in shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP now owns 975,000 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock worth $120,071,000 after purchasing an additional 75,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perpetual Ltd lifted its position in Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 60.2% during the 1st quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 952,172 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company's stock worth $118,212,000 after acquiring an additional 357,784 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Jazz Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Bruce C. Cozadd sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.62, for a total value of $771,720.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 429,973 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $55,303,127.26. This trade represents a 1.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Jazz Pharmaceuticals from $162.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $202.00 target price on shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Zacks Research upgraded Jazz Pharmaceuticals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $152.00 price objective for the company. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.67.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.2%

JAZZ stock traded down $1.51 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $127.02. 296,572 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 938,410. Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC has a 12-month low of $95.49 and a 12-month high of $148.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.05 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $117.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $116.81.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:JAZZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The specialty pharmaceutical company reported ($8.25) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($5.61) by ($2.64). Jazz Pharmaceuticals had a positive return on equity of 5.02% and a negative net margin of 9.91%.The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.30 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Jazz Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.800-5.600 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC will post 16.96 EPS for the current year.

About Jazz Pharmaceuticals

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc identifies, develops, and commercializes pharmaceutical products for unmet medical needs in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers Xywav for cataplexy or excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) with narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia; Xyrem to treat cataplexy or EDS with narcolepsy; Epidiolex for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, or tuberous sclerosis complex; Zepzelca to treat metastatic small cell lung cancer, or with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy; Rylaze for acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma; Enrylaze to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoblastic lymphoma; Defitelio to treat severe hepatic veno-occlusive disease; and Vyxeos for newly-diagnosed therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia.