Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Trims Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC decreased its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 406 shares of the company’s stock after selling 25 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 7,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,506,000 after acquiring an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 317 shares of the company’s stock worth $820,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 1,805 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,667,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,109,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,812,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total transaction of $8,993,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,756,456.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total value of $21,374,474.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at $48,992,208.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total transaction of $8,993,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,921 shares in the company, valued at $8,756,456.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,990 shares of company stock worth $50,335,193 in the last quarter. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO stock traded down $24.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $2,961.50. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 23,404 shares, compared to its average volume of 153,541. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,277.88 and a 1-year high of $3,256.37. The company has a market cap of $51.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.02, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $3,005.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2,761.20.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $26.08 by $2.81. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.70% and a negative return on equity of 56.06%. The company had revenue of $3.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $24.64 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.4 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $2,900.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $2,950.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,346.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,086.61.

AutoZone 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.