AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Stock Position Lowered by Braun Stacey Associates Inc.

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. decreased its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,130 shares of the company’s stock after selling 295 shares during the quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $27,573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AZO. L2 Asset Management LLC raised its position in AutoZone by 4.2% in the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Obermeyer Wealth Partners boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Obermeyer Wealth Partners now owns 67 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 58 shares of the company’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 86 shares of the company’s stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on AZO shares. 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. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 price target on AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $4,300.00 price objective (up from $4,150.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. DA Davidson set a $4,300.00 price objective on AutoZone in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their target price 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,312.13.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total value of $21,867,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,627 shares in the company, valued at $9,719,900. This represents a 69.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AutoZone Price Performance

AutoZone stock opened at $3,398.84 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3,210.72 and a fifty-two week high of $4,388.11. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $3,618.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3,712.37. The company has a market cap of $56.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.41.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The business had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $28.29 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal 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.