Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 2,473 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,993 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,473 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of AutoZone worth $51,453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at $356,000. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,107,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,406,000. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoZone news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total transaction of $823,750.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,102,665. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total transaction of $21,867,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 347 shares of company stock valued at $1,179,256 and have sold 9,447 shares valued at $34,179,923. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AZO shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $4,400.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. DA Davidson set a $4,300.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 target price on AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,311.57.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,641.03 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $3,621.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $3,816.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $3,210.72 and a 1 year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $28.29 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.