Lazard Asset Management LLC Increases Holdings in Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC $JAZZ

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC (NASDAQ:JAZZ) by 199.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,723 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,441 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Jazz Pharmaceuticals were worth $8,077,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JAZZ. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,666,602 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $453,322,000 after buying an additional 111,735 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 11.4% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,867,399 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $198,159,000 after acquiring an additional 191,637 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 164.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,818,911 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $309,215,000 after acquiring an additional 1,129,995 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 44.5% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,679,371 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $317,485,000 after acquiring an additional 517,514 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Jazz Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,677,132 shares of the specialty pharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $285,113,000 after acquiring an additional 50,996 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JAZZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $252.00 target price on shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals from $253.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Jazz Pharmaceuticals from $265.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Jazz Pharmaceuticals from $256.00 to $254.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Jazz Pharmaceuticals from $195.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $259.06.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of JAZZ opened at $258.38 on Friday. Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC has a 1-year low of $105.00 and a 1-year high of $261.30. The company has a market capitalization of $16.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -12,912.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.85. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $239.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $206.04.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:JAZZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty pharmaceutical company reported $6.34 EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter. Jazz Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 0.66% and a return on equity of 14.56%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC will post 21.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Jazz Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Rick E. Winningham sold 2,741 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.57, for a total value of $662,143.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 9,567 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,311,100.19. The trade was a 22.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bruce C. Cozadd sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.47, for a total value of $1,442,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 366,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,176,020.54. This represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 13,098 shares of company stock worth $3,131,906 in the last three months. 4.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals Profile

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies in neuroscience and oncology. The company’s research and development efforts target unmet medical needs in sleep disorders, hematologic malignancies, rare neurological conditions and solid tumors. Jazz’s product portfolio includes therapies for narcolepsy, hepatic veno-occlusive disease, acute myeloid leukemia and other serious disorders.

Flagship products from Jazz Pharmaceuticals include Xyrem® (sodium oxybate) and Xywav® (calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium oxybates) for the treatment of cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy.