Captrust Financial Advisors Raises Stake in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 4.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,885 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 811 shares during the quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors’ holdings in AutoZone were worth $89,600,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 371,123.0% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 935,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,472,724,000 after purchasing an additional 935,230 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the second quarter worth about $981,202,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in AutoZone by 277.3% during the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 102,567 shares of the company’s stock worth $440,037,000 after purchasing an additional 75,382 shares during the period. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 1,185.5% in the 2nd quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management Services Ltd now owns 64,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,126,000 after purchasing an additional 59,653 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 80.8% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 101,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $432,059,000 after purchasing an additional 45,212 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE AZO opened at $3,363.12 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $55.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.56, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,658.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,786.15. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $3,210.72 and a one year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $27.59 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $28.29 EPS. Equities analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AZO shares. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,076.00 to $4,045.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Robert W. Baird cut AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3,900.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $4,300.00 target price on AutoZone in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,312.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael A. George bought 145 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $3,398.13 per share, with a total value of $492,728.85. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 566 shares in the company, valued at $1,923,341.58. This represents a 34.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,447 shares of company stock worth $34,179,923. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.