Azenta, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZTA) Short Interest Update

Azenta, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZTA - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,150,000 shares, a decline of 7.2% from the December 31st total of 4,470,000 shares. Approximately 9.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 754,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.5 days.

Azenta Stock Performance

Azenta stock traded up $1.86 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $53.83. 564,372 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 431,054. The firm has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of -17.98 and a beta of 1.47. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $50.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.03. Azenta has a twelve month low of $38.82 and a twelve month high of $67.77.

Azenta (NASDAQ:AZTA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.03. Azenta had a negative net margin of 25.01% and a positive return on equity of 1.03%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Azenta will post 0.41 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Azenta

In other news, CEO John Marotta acquired 12,717 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.48 per share, with a total value of $502,067.16. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 99,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,932,681.76. This trade represents a 14.63 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Herman Cueto sold 712 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $28,529.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,892 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $957,352.44. This trade represents a 2.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,423 shares of company stock worth $57,020 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 10.62% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Azenta

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Azenta by 65.0% in the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,577,881 shares of the company's stock worth $78,894,000 after buying an additional 621,830 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Azenta by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,298,856 shares of the company's stock worth $62,917,000 after purchasing an additional 183,040 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Azenta by 94.4% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 221,083 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,054,000 after purchasing an additional 107,339 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Azenta by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 265,983 shares of the company's stock worth $13,299,000 after purchasing an additional 77,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP grew its stake in Azenta by 7.8% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 739,977 shares of the company's stock worth $35,844,000 after purchasing an additional 53,584 shares in the last quarter. 99.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AZTA. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Azenta in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Azenta from $69.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th.

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.