AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Acquired by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR lifted its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 10.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,952 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $6,620,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AZO. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 387.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 77,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,832,000 after purchasing an additional 61,821 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 39.5% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 176,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $584,730,000 after purchasing an additional 50,071 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 80.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 101,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $432,059,000 after purchasing an additional 45,212 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 401.2% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,247,000 after purchasing an additional 41,467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter worth $149,656,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on AZO. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,200.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 16th. Roth Mkm cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Argus raised shares of AutoZone from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4,325.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,312.13.

AutoZone Price Performance

AZO stock opened at $3,318.09 on Monday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3,210.72 and a 1-year high of $4,388.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3,492.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3,596.17. The firm has a market cap of $54.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.25, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.43.

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 firm had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $28.29 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 148.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. This represents a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

About AutoZone

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.