Start here if you're new
what it is
Azenta sells tools and services that help labs store, track, and sequence biological samples.
how it gets paid
Last year Azenta made $594M in revenue.
why it's growing
Revenue grew 273.0% last year. At that division, sample storage and clinical biostores performed admirably, but gains there were offset by a decrease in volume at the cryogenic arm, which.
what just happened
Azenta missed with $149M revenue and a -$0.34 loss per share.
At a glance
B+ balance sheet — decent shape, but not bulletproof
25/100 earnings predictability — expect surprises
75.2x trailing p/e — you're paying up for this one
4.0% return on capital — nothing to write home about
xvary composite: 55/100 — below average
What they do
Azenta sells tools and services that help labs store, track, and sequence biological samples.
Sample management solutions was 55% of fiscal 2025 sales. Multiomics was 45%. That split matters because you are not buying one fragile product line. You are buying a system customers already use, and leaving means moving samples, software, and workflows. Switching costs mean paying extra to leave, and that is the part customers hate.
How they make money
$594M
annual revenue · their business grew +273.0% last year
total revenue
$594M
+273.0%
The products that matter
sample storage and workflow services
Sample Management Solutions
part of a $594M revenue base
this is the operating backbone of the company. recent commentary said sample storage and clinical biostores held up, but cryogenic volumes were pressured by customer budget constraints.
core workflow
sequencing and genomic services
Multiomics
$73M in the cited quarter
the latest update tied $73M of quarterly revenue to this segment, helped by next-generation sequencing demand and a 17% increase in orders from China. it is the growth pocket readers should watch.
growth pocket
Key numbers
$1.00
FY2027 profit/share
At $39.85, you pay 39.9 times that forecast. You are paying for profits that are not here yet.
$33
18-mo target
That sits 17% below the current price of $39.85. The base case is not cheering.
42.9%
gross margin
That is the cushion after product costs. It sits next to a -4.5% operating margin, which is the real problem.
75.2x
earnings price tag
That is the market price on trailing profit. You are paying a lot for a business with weak earnings power.
Financial health
B+
strength
- balance sheet grade B+ — solid but not elite
- risk rank 3 — safer than 50% of stocks
- price stability 20 / 100
- net profit margin 9.1% — keeps 9 cents of every dollar in revenue
- return on equity 4% — $0.04 profit for every $1 investors have put in
B+ — functional but not a standout on the balance sheet.
Total return vs. market
You invested $10,000 in AZTA 3 years ago → it's now worth $7,070.
The index would have given you $14,770.
source: institutional data · total return
What just happened
missed estimates
Azenta missed with $149M revenue and a -$0.34 loss per share.
Revenue came in at $149M, and earnings per share were -$0.34. Gross margin was 42.9%, so the product line held up better than the bottom line.
$149M
revenue
$0.34
profit/share
42.9%
gross margin
the number that mattered
EPS was -$0.34. Revenue held at $149M, but the business still lost money.
-
azenta finished up fiscal 2025 (year ends september 30th) right about where we anticipated.sales for the final quarter were $159 million with corresponding adjusted earnings per share of $0.21.
-
both figures were very close to our targets.the former was buoyed by strong performance from its multiomics segment, which brought in $73 million of the top line.
-
performance here was powered by a significant uptick in demand for next generation sequencing, with the country of china posting an impressive 17% increase in orders.
-
the other reporting segment is sample management solutions.at that division, sample storage and clinical biostores performed admirably, but gains there were offset by a decrease in volume at the cryogenic arm, which was blamed on the budget constraints currently being felt by the average customer.
-
for fiscal 2026, we expect a return to top-line growth and an earnings increase in the vicinity of 50%.
source: company earnings report, 2026
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What could go wrong
the #1 risk is customer budget pressure in cryogenic and sample-management workflows.
med
biotech customers are still spending carefully
recent commentary already flagged weaker cryogenic volume because customers are working through budget constraints. when your growth rate is 3.6%, you do not need a big slowdown for the story to feel different.
This risk sits inside the full $594M revenue base and pressures a business earning just a 10.5% operating margin.
med
China helped the bright spot
multiomics demand was helped by a 17% increase in orders from China. that is good news until you remember cross-border life-sciences demand can be volatile, political, and hard to forecast.
If the strongest demand pocket cools, the company loses support for the growth case that currently justifies a premium valuation.
med
the multiple is doing a lot of the work
75.2x trailing earnings on a 6.8% net margin business leaves very little slack. the stock has already lagged the market badly over three years, and institutions have been net sellers for three straight quarters.
This is what valuation compression looks like in advance: a $39.85 stock with one published midpoint target at $33 and a market that wants proof, not patience.
A business growing 3.6% on $594M of revenue can work. paying 75.2x earnings for it means execution has to keep working too.
source: institutional data · regulatory filings · risk analysis
Pay attention to
next report
does fiscal 2026 actually start the reacceleration
the company is pointing to a return to top-line growth and roughly 50% earnings growth. the next print is where promise turns into math.
metric
revenue versus the $620M estimate
$620M would mean about 4.4% growth from the current $594M base. that is the number the valuation needs to see coming closer, not farther away.
risk
cryogenic volume and customer budgets
management already blamed budget constraints for weakness in the cryogenic arm. if that spreads beyond one sub-business, the growth story gets thinner fast.
trend
institutional flow
three straight quarters of net selling is not fatal, but it is a message. if that flips to net buying, the stock gets a better sponsorship story.
Analyst rankings
short-term outlook
average
momentum score 3 — in human-speak, analysts do not see a strong near-term edge either way.
risk profile
average
stability score 3 — this sits in the middle of the pack, not a bunker stock and not a chaos machine.
chart momentum
below average
technical score 4 — the tape is not giving you much help from here.
earnings predictability
25 / 100
low predictability means estimates can move around more than you would like, which matters extra when the multiple is rich.
source: institutional data
Institutional activity
institutions have been net selling for 3 consecutive quarters — 115 buyers vs. 148 sellers in 3q2025. total institutional holdings: 50.5M shares. net selling for 3 quarters.
source: institutional data
Price targets
3-5 year target range
$14
$52
$40
current price
$33
target midpoint · 17% from current · 3-5yr high: $75 (+90% · 17% ann'l return)
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