Empirical Finance LLC Buys 14 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Empirical Finance LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 638 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $2,010,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 11.9% during the first quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 160 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 1,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,197,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. First Foundation Advisors bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 1st quarter worth about $158,000. Spirepoint Private Client LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 1st quarter valued at about $318,000. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $829,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This trade represents a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. The trade was a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. 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. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,202.71.

AutoZone Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,107.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,112.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,024.09. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,510.00 and a 12-month high of $3,256.37.

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

About AutoZone

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.