Larson Financial Group LLC Grows Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 67.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $173,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AZO. Rock Creek Group LP purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter worth $25,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone in the third quarter valued at $43,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone in the third quarter valued at $51,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Steward Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 66.7% in the third quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC now owns 25 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of AZO opened at $2,988.51 on Thursday. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,277.88 and a twelve month high of $3,256.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $3,020.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2,768.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.76 billion, a PE ratio of 21.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.70.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $26.08 by $2.81. The business had revenue of $3.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 56.06% and a net margin of 14.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $24.64 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.4 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AZO. Mizuho began coverage on AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on AutoZone from $2,900.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Barclays raised their price target on AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Wedbush raised their price target on AutoZone from $2,950.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,086.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total transaction of $13,247,439.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,845,512. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total transaction of $13,247,439.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,845,512. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,200.00, for a total value of $6,720,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,912,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,990 shares of company stock worth $50,335,193 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.