AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Position Boosted by Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 524 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 15 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,173.40 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $3,112.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,018.37. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,510.00 and a fifty-two week high of $3,256.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.71.

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). The business had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $46.46 EPS. Research analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value of $4,910,150.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at $43,055,777.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced 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 issued a $3,200.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, September 19th. BNP Paribas upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,038.00 to $3,125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,202.71.

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.