West Family Investments Inc. Has $731,000 Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

West Family Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 5.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 232 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the quarter. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $731,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Peak Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,816,000. Verde Capital Management bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,137,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 592.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,012,000 after acquiring an additional 7,879 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 5.6% in the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 16,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,979,000 after buying an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BDF Gestion bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the second quarter valued at $3,044,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AZO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $3,200.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,300.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,202.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total value of $922,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. This represents a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,166.93 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $3,113.91 and a 200 day moving average of $3,026.55. The company has a market capitalization of $53.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.15, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,510.00 and a 1-year high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $46.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 EPS for the current year.

AutoZone 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.