Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 1,821 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 52,668 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,821 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $225,952,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in AutoZone by 1.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,797,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,711,912,000 after acquiring an additional 26,544 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 371,123.0% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 935,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,472,724,000 after acquiring an additional 935,230 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 714,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,650,870,000 after purchasing an additional 11,088 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 444,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,649,228,000 after purchasing an additional 8,187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at about $981,202,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AZO. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Roth Mkm cut their price target on AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,274.00 to $4,345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,076.00 to $4,045.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $4,400.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,311.57.

Insider Activity

In other AutoZone news, Director Michael A. George bought 145 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $3,398.13 per share, with a total value of $492,728.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,341.58. The trade was a 34.44% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total transaction of $823,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,102,665. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 347 shares of company stock valued at $1,179,256 and have sold 9,447 shares valued at $34,179,923. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Down 2.7%

NYSE AZO opened at $3,641.03 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $3,210.72 and a 52 week high of $4,388.11. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $3,621.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $3,819.24. The company has a market cap of $60.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.41.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.The company had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $28.29 EPS. AutoZone’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share 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.