Rathbones Group PLC Sells 1,200 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Rathbones Group PLC cut its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,440 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $25,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZO. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the second quarter worth $356,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone by 3.8% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone by 8.9% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,110,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in AutoZone by 52.3% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,667,000 after acquiring an additional 4,039 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on AZO shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,200.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $4,300.00 target price (up from $4,150.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, UBS Group set a $4,800.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,290.91.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,433.88 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $3,467.83 and a 200-day moving average of $3,586.78. The company has a market cap of $56.59 billion, a PE ratio of 24.06, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.43. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $3,210.72 and a one year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $27.59 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $28.29 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 148.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total value of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,837 shares in the company, valued at $16,826,568.64. This represents a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.