MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH Invests $2.47 Million in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH acquired a new position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,469,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZO. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,179,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 266.7% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $629,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Night Squared LP acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 1st quarter worth about $2,860,000. Emerald Advisers LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 60.0% in the second quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $832,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 8.6% in the first quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,684,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Trading Down 0.8%

AZO stock opened at $3,440.41 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $3,838.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,894.94. The stock has a market cap of $57.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.99, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3,162.00 and a twelve month high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $31.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $32.69 by ($1.65). The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.78% and a negative return on equity of 65.38%. AutoZone’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $32.52 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoZone declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, October 8th that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 2,860 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,175.70, for a total transaction of $11,942,502.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 1,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,194,570.80. The trade was a 69.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,775.00, for a total transaction of $1,132,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,570,400. The trade was a 41.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,693 shares of company stock worth $23,259,891. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial decreased their target price on AutoZone from $4,499.00 to $4,076.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup decreased their target price on AutoZone from $4,775.00 to $4,200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Baird R W raised shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $4,700.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,365.35.

About AutoZone

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.