Stevens Capital Management LP Raises Stock Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Stevens Capital Management LP raised its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 106.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 455 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP's holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AZO. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 7.7% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 659 shares of the company's stock worth $2,076,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth about $208,000. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 99 shares of the company's stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 14.2% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 353 shares of the company's stock worth $1,112,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 104,665 shares of the company's stock valued at $329,699,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total transaction of $5,670,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 417 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,501,200. This trade represents a 79.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,610.00, for a total value 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. The trade was a 49.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,721 shares of company stock worth $17,009,311 over the last quarter. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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AutoZone Trading Up 2.6 %

AutoZone stock traded up $94.02 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $3,775.70. 41,456 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 125,987. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $3,460.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,270.12. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,728.97 and a fifty-two week high of $3,783.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.24, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AZO shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. DA Davidson raised AutoZone from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $3,500.00 to $4,192.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus cut shares of AutoZone from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $3,683.36.

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.