Pacific Capital Partners Ltd Purchases 236 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Pacific Capital Partners Ltd lifted its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 37.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 871 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the quarter. AutoZone makes up about 3.1% of Pacific Capital Partners Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Pacific Capital Partners Ltd’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $2,954,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 277.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 102,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $440,037,000 after purchasing an additional 75,382 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 80.8% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 101,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $432,059,000 after purchasing an additional 45,212 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 401.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,247,000 after buying an additional 41,467 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 36.4% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 153,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $568,329,000 after buying an additional 40,862 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter worth approximately $149,656,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AZO shares. Roth Mkm reduced their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Raymond James Financial cut their price target on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on AutoZone from $4,700.00 to $4,500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,312.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total value of $21,867,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,627 shares in the company, valued at $9,719,900. This represents a 69.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total value of $823,750.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,102,665. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,447 shares of company stock valued at $34,179,923. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,346.44 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $3,639.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3,732.64. The company has a market capitalization of $55.15 billion, a PE ratio of 23.44, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $3,210.72 and a 52 week high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $28.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

About AutoZone

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.