Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,718 shares of the company's stock after selling 189 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.13% of AutoZone worth $69,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,519 shares of the company's stock worth $7,933,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 127.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 84 shares of the company's stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Vicus Capital acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the third quarter worth approximately $202,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in AutoZone by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 542 shares of the company's stock worth $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at $265,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts recently commented on AZO shares. Mizuho raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of 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 report on Monday, December 16th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $3,700.00 price objective for the company. One 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 data from MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $3,429.84.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on AZO
AutoZone Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:AZO traded down $40.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $3,366.20. 30,338 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 100,273. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,708.09 and a twelve month high of $3,484.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.49, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.70. The business's fifty day moving average price is $3,321.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,204.55.
AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $33.69 by ($1.17). The company 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $32.55 earnings per share. Analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.
About AutoZone
(
Free Report)
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.
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