AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Stake Boosted by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 918 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $2,892,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,544,000 after purchasing an additional 60,483 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,816,000. Verde Capital Management bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,137,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 592.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,012,000 after acquiring an additional 7,879 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 16,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,979,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,176.81 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $53.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,510.00 and a 12 month high of $3,256.37. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $3,121.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,035.70.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $53.31 by ($5.20). The business had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $46.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on AZO. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $3,634.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 21st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,202.71.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total value of $922,560.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. This trade represents a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Company 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.