Bailard Inc. Has $3.06 Million Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Bailard Inc. lessened its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,182 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $3,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rock Creek Group LP purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth approximately $54,000. Finally, Steward Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 66.7% during the third quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC now owns 25 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE AZO traded down $48.80 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $2,939.71. The stock had a trading volume of 151,313 shares, compared to its average volume of 154,165. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,277.88 and a fifty-two week high of $3,256.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $3,020.17 and a 200-day moving average of $2,768.74. The firm has a market cap of $50.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.04, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AZO shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,363.00 to $3,523.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,346.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Barclays upped their price target on AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 price objective on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,086.61.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total value of $21,374,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at $48,992,208.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other AutoZone news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 2,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,756,456.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 15,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,992,208.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,990 shares of company stock valued at $50,335,193. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.