Quantitative Investment Management LLC Has $1.42 Million Stock Position in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Quantitative Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 345.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 330 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Quantitative Investment Management LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the second quarter valued at $356,000. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in AutoZone by 7.2% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 74 shares of the company’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,128,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the period. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth about $245,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AZO. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,700.00 to $4,500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Argus upgraded AutoZone from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4,325.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $4,400.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $4,300.00 price objective (up from $4,150.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group set a $4,800.00 target price on AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,318.38.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AZO opened at $3,612.86 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3,644.59 and a 200-day moving average of $3,809.00. The company has a market capitalization of $59.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3,210.72 and a fifty-two week high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The business had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $28.29 earnings per share. AutoZone’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total transaction of $823,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $16,102,665. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian Hannasch bought 147 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $3,393.09 per share, for a total transaction of $498,784.23. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,264,152.58. This trade represents a 18.04% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,447 shares of company stock worth $34,179,923. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Profile

AutoZone, Inc (NYSE: AZO) is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do‑it‑yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.