Swiss National Bank Has $188.21 Million Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Swiss National Bank grew its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,700 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.30% of AutoZone worth $188,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in AutoZone during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Aspect Partners LLC raised its stake in AutoZone by 700.0% in the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 8 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 9 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other news, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,775.00, for a total value of $1,132,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,570,400. This represents a 41.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 2,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,020.88, for a total value of $10,184,889.04. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 55 shares in the company, valued at $221,148.40. This represents a 97.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,693 shares of company stock worth $23,259,891. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,895.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.79 billion, a PE ratio of 26.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.37. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3,076.44 and a twelve month high of $4,388.11. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $3,966.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,892.62.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 23rd. The company reported $48.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $50.52 by ($1.81). The company had revenue of $6.24 billion during 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $51.58 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, October 8th that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on AZO. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,800.00 to $4,700.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Erste Group Bank downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. DA Davidson set a $4,850.00 price objective on AutoZone in a report on Thursday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,547.56.

AutoZone Company 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.