Osprey Private Wealth LLC Buys 521 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Osprey Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 50.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,559 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 521 shares during the period. AutoZone accounts for 2.4% of Osprey Private Wealth LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Osprey Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $6,688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 3.2% during the first quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 96 shares of the company’s stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. McLean Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in AutoZone by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 87 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in AutoZone by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 347 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 4.3% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 72 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 0.3% during the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,377,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,775.00, for a total value of $1,132,500.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,570,400. This trade represents a 41.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 2,860 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,175.70, for a total value of $11,942,502.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,194,570.80. The trade was a 69.69% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 5,693 shares of company stock valued at $23,259,891 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE AZO opened at $3,394.67 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $3,799.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,888.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.40. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $3,162.00 and a 1 year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $31.04 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $32.69 by ($1.65). The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.64 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.78% and a negative return on equity of 65.38%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $32.52 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoZone declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, October 8th that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,800.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,850.00 to $4,500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,800.00 to $4,325.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $4,500.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on AutoZone from $4,262.00 to $4,234.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,346.12.

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.