QV Investors Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

QV Investors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 41.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,925 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,110 shares during the quarter. QV Investors Inc.'s holdings in AutoZone were worth $9,366,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in AutoZone by 50.0% during 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 bought a new stake in AutoZone during the third quarter worth about $47,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company's stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on AZO shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Capital upgraded AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $3,025.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $3,200.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO stock traded down $10.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $3,241.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 115,299 shares, compared to its average volume of 119,228. The stock has a market cap of $54.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $3,212.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,125.20. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,575.00 and a 52-week high of $3,416.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $33.69 by ($1.17). The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.30 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $32.55 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 154.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone 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.