ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd Raises Position in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd grew its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 185.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 640 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $2,746,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Aspect Partners LLC boosted its position in AutoZone by 700.0% in the second quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 8 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 600.0% in the 3rd quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 7 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in AutoZone by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 9 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 97 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,341.99, for a total value of $324,173.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,910,852.36. The trade was a 2.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael A. George acquired 145 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,923,341.58. This trade represents a 34.44% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 347 shares of company stock worth $1,179,256 and have sold 9,447 shares worth $34,179,923. 2.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $4,400.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $4,650.00 price target (down from $4,750.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on AutoZone from $4,800.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,271.25.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,751.33 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $3,210.72 and a 52 week high of $4,388.11. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $3,563.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,842.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.16 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.41.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $31.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $32.69 by ($1.65). The business had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 65.38% and a net margin of 12.78%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $32.52 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone Profile

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.