ProShare Advisors LLC Buys 527 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 18.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,397 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $11,521,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZO. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $356,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,110,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 52.3% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,667,000 after acquiring an additional 4,039 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,433.88 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $3,467.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,586.78. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $3,210.72 and a one year high of $4,388.11. The firm has a market cap of $56.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.43.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.The firm had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $28.29 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 148.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoZone news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total value of $173,936.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,826,568.64. This represents a 1.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AZO. Barclays boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 target price on AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on AutoZone from $4,200.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Evercore boosted their target price on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Roth Mkm decreased their target price on AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,290.91.

AutoZone Company 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.