Elm3 Financial Group LLC Purchases Shares of 140 AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Elm3 Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 140 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $448,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in AutoZone by 18.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company's stock valued at $141,717,000 after buying an additional 6,898 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company's stock valued at $292,544,000 after acquiring an additional 60,483 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 34,808 shares of the company's stock valued at $111,455,000 after acquiring an additional 7,922 shares in the last quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in AutoZone by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company's stock worth $8,460,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verde Capital Management acquired a new position in AutoZone in the third quarter worth $1,137,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock traded up $7.90 during trading on Monday, reaching $3,428.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 44,696 shares, compared to its average volume of 107,156. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,672.31 and a one year high of $3,484.42. The firm has a market cap of $57.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.70. The business's fifty day moving average price is $3,292.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,185.47.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $33.69 by ($1.17). The business had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $32.55 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Guggenheim raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $3,634.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $3,429.84.

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.