Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $56.80 Million Stake in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,745 shares of the company’s stock after selling 820 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.10% of AutoZone worth $56,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the second quarter worth $356,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 3.8% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 8.9% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,110,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 52.3% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,667,000 after purchasing an additional 4,039 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total transaction of $21,867,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 2,627 shares in the company, valued at $9,719,900. This trade represents a 69.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. This represents a 1.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE AZO opened at $3,590.60 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,568.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,650.69. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3,210.72 and a twelve month high of $4,388.11. The stock has a market cap of $59.17 billion, a PE ratio of 25.15, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.41.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $27.59 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $28.29 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 148.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird downgraded AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3,900.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Roth Mkm lowered their price target on AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on AutoZone from $4,200.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,312.13.

AutoZone Profile

AutoZone, Inc (NYSE: AZO) is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do‑it‑yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.