Brown Advisory Inc. Reduces Stake in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Brown Advisory Inc. lowered its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 128,130 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,059 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. owned approximately 0.77% of AutoZone worth $434,552,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Camden National Bank raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 86 shares of the company’s stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $791,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 212 shares of the company’s stock worth $908,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $982,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compass Capital Corp MA ADV raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Compass Capital Corp MA ADV now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised AutoZone from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $4,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on AutoZone from $4,020.00 to $3,605.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,000.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,040.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, Director Brian Hannasch bought 165 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $2,987.00 per share, with a total value of $492,855.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,641,153. This trade represents a 15.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total value of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. The trade was a 1.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.9%

AZO stock opened at $3,110.16 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,928.11 and a twelve month high of $4,388.11. The firm has a market cap of $51.26 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $3,367.14 and a 200 day moving average of $3,514.38.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $36.22 by $1.85. The business had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 12.40%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $35.36 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone Company 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.