AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Sold by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC reduced its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,662 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,489 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $405,834,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZO. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. acquired a new position in AutoZone during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 9 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AZO shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,000.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,345.00 to $4,096.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,020.00 to $3,605.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,040.87.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other news, Director Brian Hannasch acquired 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $2,987.00 per share, for a total transaction of $492,855.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,641,153. The trade was a 15.65% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. This trade represents a 1.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,110.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,367.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,514.38. The company has a market cap of $51.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.35. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,928.11 and a fifty-two week high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $36.22 by $1.85. The business had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.86 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.40% and a negative return on equity of 80.35%. The company’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $35.36 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.45 EPS 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.