AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Sold by Holocene Advisors LP

Holocene Advisors LP cut its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 15.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,862 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,027 shares during the quarter. Holocene Advisors LP’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $136,696,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AZO. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in AutoZone by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,179,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 8,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,145,000 after buying an additional 613 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 132.8% during the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $678,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 68.2% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,251,000 after acquiring an additional 591 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Roth Mkm lowered their price target on AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $4,400.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,274.00 to $4,345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,318.38.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,557.90 on Monday. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $3,210.72 and a one year high of $4,388.11. The stock has a market cap of $58.95 billion, a PE ratio of 24.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $3,649.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,799.52.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $28.29 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, Director Michael A. George acquired 145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3,398.13 per share, for a total transaction of $492,728.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,341.58. This trade represents a 34.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 97 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,341.99, for a total transaction of $324,173.03. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,564 shares in the company, valued at $11,910,852.36. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,447 shares of company stock worth $34,179,923. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

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.