WD Rutherford LLC Takes $145,000 Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

WD Rutherford LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 46 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $145,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parnassus Investments LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 32.0% in the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 243,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $629,780,000 after buying an additional 58,989 shares during the period. LGT Capital Partners LTD. grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. LGT Capital Partners LTD. now owns 27,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,458,000 after purchasing an additional 6,630 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 49.0% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth approximately $879,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth approximately $145,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on AZO. UBS Group decreased their price target on AutoZone from $3,465.00 to $3,340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Mizuho cut their price objective on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $2,600.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays dropped their target price on AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,024.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, Wedbush dropped their target price on AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,112.88.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AZO traded up $8.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $2,964.10. 188,441 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 145,426. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,375.35 and a 52 week high of $3,256.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $2,894.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $2,863.15.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The company reported $36.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $35.67 by $1.02. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.29 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 54.58% and a net margin of 14.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $34.12 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Jenna M. Bedsole purchased 36 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $2,757.10 per share, with a total value of $99,255.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 36 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $99,255.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.