Teacher Retirement System of Texas Acquires 13,626 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 11,848.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,741 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,626 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.08% of AutoZone worth $43,999,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 3,762 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,852,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 566 shares of the company's stock worth $1,783,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Commerce Bank raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.6% during the third quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 7,904 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,898,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at about $16,179,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 7.7% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 659 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,076,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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AutoZone Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO traded up $17.67 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $3,675.49. The stock had a trading volume of 135,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 126,328. The firm has a market cap of $61.68 billion, a PE ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,441.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,263.12. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,728.97 and a twelve month high of $3,704.43.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total transaction of $5,670,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 417 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,501,200. This represents a 79.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total value of $568,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares in the company, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,721 shares of company stock valued at $17,009,311. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson upgraded shares of AutoZone from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $3,500.00 to $4,192.00 in a research note on Friday. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $3,700.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $3,683.36.

About AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company provides various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products.