Natixis Advisors L.P. Sells 1,323 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Natixis Advisors L.P. lessened its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,255 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,323 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $39,445,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 2.0% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock worth $513,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Plancorp LLC increased its stake in AutoZone by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 136 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the period. Alcosta Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alcosta Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,188,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $917,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the period. Finally, Cypress Capital Group increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.2% in the third quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,057,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at $48,992,208.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total value of $8,993,280.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,756,456.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 15,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,992,208.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,990 shares of company stock valued at $50,335,193. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AZO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,000.00 to $3,200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. DA Davidson upped their target price on AutoZone from $2,770.00 to $3,025.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho initiated coverage on AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 price target on the stock. Wedbush lifted their target price on AutoZone from $2,950.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,086.61.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.3 %

AZO traded down $9.89 during trading on Friday, reaching $2,952.20. 102,073 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 135,291. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $3,048.03 and its 200 day moving average is $2,783.78. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,277.88 and a 12 month high of $3,256.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.13 billion, a PE ratio of 20.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.72.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share (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 net margin of 14.70% and a negative return on equity of 56.06%. AutoZone’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $24.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.4 EPS for the current year.

About AutoZone

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.