Aviva PLC Decreases Stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Aviva PLC lessened its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,970 shares of the company's stock after selling 193 shares during the period. Aviva PLC owned about 0.06% of AutoZone worth $31,924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 421,716 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,326,545,000 after purchasing an additional 7,365 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 482,040.2% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,343,117,000 after purchasing an additional 419,375 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at $834,556,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in AutoZone by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,575 shares of the company's stock worth $683,867,000 after buying an additional 13,771 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshfield Associates raised its position in AutoZone by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 169,586 shares of the company's stock worth $534,204,000 after buying an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,775.00 to $3,830.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,875.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Argus lowered shares of AutoZone from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,753.00 to $3,841.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $3,763.00 price objective on AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $3,724.00.

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Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares of the company's stock, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 136 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.08, for a total value of $482,810.88. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 403 shares in the company, valued at $1,430,682.24. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 6,721 shares of company stock valued at $24,609,331. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AZO traded up $46.51 during trading on Friday, hitting $3,661.75. 51,868 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 133,010. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,728.97 and a 1 year high of $3,916.81. The firm has a market cap of $61.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,552.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,322.06.

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

AutoZone Company Profile

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.