Scotia Capital Inc. Acquires 157 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Scotia Capital Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 11.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,551 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings in AutoZone were worth $4,966,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 61 shares of the company's stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $487,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 132 shares of the company's stock worth $423,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in AutoZone by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 371 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,188,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company's stock.

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AutoZone Stock Performance

AZO traded up $18.69 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $3,678.29. 118,253 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 133,317. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,728.97 and a one year high of $3,916.81. The company's fifty day moving average price is $3,560.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,330.17. The company has a market cap of $61.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $29.11 by ($0.82). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.98 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen raised their price target 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. Barclays upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Roth Capital set a $3,763.00 price objective on AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,875.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $3,724.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total transaction of $568,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares in the company, valued at approximately $177,500. This represents a 76.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,610.00, for a total transaction of $10,288,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,555,640. This represents a 49.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,721 shares of company stock worth $24,609,331. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.