Strs Ohio Sells 3,592 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Strs Ohio reduced its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 23.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,967 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,592 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio owned about 0.07% of AutoZone worth $30,941,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Rock Creek Group LP purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 166.7% during the third quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 16 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of AZO stock opened at $2,903.51 on Tuesday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,277.88 and a 52 week high of $3,256.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $2,990.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2,748.72.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $26.08 by $2.81. The business had revenue of $3.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.70% and a negative return on equity of 56.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $24.64 EPS. Analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 15,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,992,208.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other AutoZone news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total value of $21,374,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at $48,992,208.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,200.00, for a total transaction of $6,720,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,912,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 18,890 shares of company stock valued at $58,216,693. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZO has been the subject of a number of research reports. TheStreet lowered AutoZone from a “c” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. UBS Group boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $2,770.00 to $3,025.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,000.00 to $3,200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,089.61.

AutoZone Profile

AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company provides various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products.