Banco Santander S.A. Increases Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Banco Santander S.A. increased its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 418 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,338,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 61 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $841,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 99 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 69 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,620.28 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.19, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,728.97 and a 12 month high of $3,636.96. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $3,365.96 and its 200 day moving average is $3,230.04.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,753.00 to $3,841.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,646.62.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total transaction of $568,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares in the company, valued at approximately $177,500. This represents a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.