Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Acquires New Holdings in Azenta, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZTA)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Azenta, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZTA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 16,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,101,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Azenta by 0.8% during the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,531,739 shares of the company's stock worth $227,448,000 after purchasing an additional 38,116 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Azenta by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,291,284 shares of the company's stock worth $84,114,000 after acquiring an additional 152,090 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Azenta by 78.7% during the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 1,147,753 shares of the company's stock worth $57,606,000 after acquiring an additional 505,412 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Azenta by 32.9% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 538,566 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,031,000 after purchasing an additional 133,463 shares during the period. Finally, Rock Springs Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Azenta by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Rock Springs Capital Management LP now owns 477,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,966,000 after purchasing an additional 7,600 shares during the last quarter. 99.08% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of Azenta in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Azenta from $64.00 to $60.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Azenta in a report on Thursday, February 8th. B. Riley upped their price target on Azenta from $61.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Azenta in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $64.00 price objective for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Azenta presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.60.

Azenta Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AZTA traded down $0.45 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $52.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 357,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 427,844. The company has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a PE ratio of -168.03 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $60.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.08. Azenta, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $36.01 and a fifty-two week high of $69.16.

Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Azenta had a positive return on equity of 0.49% and a negative net margin of 2.92%. The business had revenue of $154.32 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $151.86 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Azenta, Inc. will post 0.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Azenta 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.