AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Stock Holdings Boosted by Childress Capital Advisors LLC

Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 5.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the period. Childress Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in AutoZone in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 66.7% in the 1st quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone during the 1st quarter valued at $46,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 2,860 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,175.70, for a total value of $11,942,502.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,244 shares in the company, valued at $5,194,570.80. This trade represents a 69.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,875.90, for a total value of $11,627,700.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 2,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,337,007.50. The trade was a 50.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

AZO stock opened at $4,244.71 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $71.23 billion, a PE ratio of 29.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.40. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,980.10 and a 12 month high of $4,388.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $4,109.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,832.21.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 23rd. The company reported $48.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $50.52 by ($1.81). The company had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.26 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 13.19% and a negative return on equity of 60.49%. AutoZone’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $51.58 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AZO shares. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on AutoZone in a report on Thursday, September 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $4,741.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $4,700.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $4,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,900.00 to $4,775.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,538.21.

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.