Natixis Advisors LLC Has $50.79 Million Stock Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,122 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 699 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.10% of AutoZone worth $50,785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 50.0% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 15 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at $50,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value of $4,910,150.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,166.42. This trade represents a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. This trade represents a 48.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup decreased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoZone from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, September 21st. Roth Capital upgraded shares of AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded AutoZone from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their price target for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $3,202.71.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO traded down $28.53 on Friday, reaching $3,107.53. The company had a trading volume of 117,884 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,162. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $3,112.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,024.56. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,510.00 and a twelve month high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. The company had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $46.46 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.