AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Purchased by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 39.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 49,818 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,050 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $147,666,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 382,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,202,596,000 after purchasing an additional 6,226 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in AutoZone by 137.6% in the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 310,043 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,998,000 after buying an additional 179,543 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $678,350,000. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 243,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $629,780,000 after acquiring an additional 58,989 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 212,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,296,000 after acquiring an additional 22,507 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:AZO traded up $43.93 on Friday, hitting $3,212.87. 85,678 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 145,562. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,375.35 and a fifty-two week high of $3,256.37. The stock has a market cap of $54.89 billion, a PE ratio of 22.22, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $2,982.53 and a 200-day moving average of $2,954.72.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.29 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 54.58% and a net margin of 14.60%. AutoZone’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $34.12 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on AZO. Truist Financial lowered their target price on AutoZone from $3,523.00 to $3,394.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $2,600.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $3,200.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Barclays lowered their target price on AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,024.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on AutoZone from $3,278.00 to $3,275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,112.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, VP Jenna M. Bedsole purchased 36 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $2,757.10 per share, for a total transaction of $99,255.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now owns 36 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,255.60. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.