Swiss National Bank Sells 500 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Swiss National Bank lessened its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 1.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 50,700 shares of the company's stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.30% of AutoZone worth $159,707,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 15 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at $50,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on AZO. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Roth Capital raised AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $3,202.71.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock traded up $59.40 on Monday, hitting $3,166.93. 130,340 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 138,642. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,510.00 and a one year high of $3,256.37. The company has a fifty day moving average of $3,112.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3,025.11. The company has a market capitalization of $53.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $46.46 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total value of $922,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,613,046.40. This represents a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was 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 directly owns 1,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This trade represents a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.