WINTON GROUP Ltd Invests $14.41 Million in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 4,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,414,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,797,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,711,912,000 after buying an additional 26,544 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth about $939,205,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 269,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $912,900,000 after buying an additional 3,868 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 189,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $814,240,000 after buying an additional 2,333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 39.5% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 176,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $584,730,000 after buying an additional 50,071 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Truist Financial set a $3,700.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $4,300.00 price target (up from $4,150.00) on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,345.00 to $4,096.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, UBS Group set a $4,800.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,040.87.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,116.41 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $51.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.35. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,928.11 and a 12 month high of $4,388.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $3,393.83 and its 200 day moving average is $3,540.32.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $36.22 by $1.85. The company had revenue of $4.84 billion for 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 77.83%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $35.36 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Brian Hannasch acquired 165 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $2,987.00 per share, with a total value of $492,855.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,641,153. This represents a 15.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.