Ostrum Asset Management Has $509,000 Stock Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Ostrum Asset Management lessened its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 31.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 159 shares of the company's stock after selling 74 shares during the period. Ostrum Asset Management's holdings in AutoZone were worth $509,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZO. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in AutoZone by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company's stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,501,200. This represents a 79.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 11,521 shares of company stock valued at $42,177,331. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO traded down $3.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $3,606.04. 103,827 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 132,437. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,728.97 and a fifty-two week high of $3,916.81. The business has a 50-day moving average of $3,586.91 and a 200-day moving average of $3,355.64.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Argus lowered AutoZone from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised AutoZone from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $3,044.00 to $3,811.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $3,724.00.

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.