Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $84.69 Million Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 46.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,886 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,932 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.16% of AutoZone worth $84,692,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZO. Quent Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.8% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 88 shares of the company's stock worth $277,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.8% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 224 shares of the company's stock worth $706,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Conning Inc. boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.3% in the second quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 98 shares of the company's stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 14.3% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 32 shares of the company's stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.1% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 101 shares of the company's stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZO traded down $40.09 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $3,156.46. The company had a trading volume of 110,987 shares, compared to its average volume of 139,413. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $3,134.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,009.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.81, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,375.35 and a one year high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $53.31 by ($5.20). The business had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $46.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 157.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and issued a $3,634.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $3,202.71.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other AutoZone news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total transaction of $40,392,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.