Vanguard Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,746,219 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,476 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.41% of AutoZone worth $5,591,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stevens Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 106.8% in the fourth quarter. Stevens Capital Management LP now owns 455 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,457,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,869 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,004,000 after purchasing an additional 1,886 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth $852,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth about $18,728,000. Finally, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 779 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,494,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of AZO stock traded up $17.67 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $3,675.49. The company had a trading volume of 135,248 shares, compared to its average volume of 126,257. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,728.97 and a 52 week high of $3,704.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. The stock's 50-day moving average is $3,441.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,263.12.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 417 shares in the company, valued at $1,501,200. This represents a 79.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,924 shares in the company, valued at $10,555,640. This trade represents a 49.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZO has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,875.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. DA Davidson upgraded AutoZone from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $3,500.00 to $4,192.00 in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,775.00 to $3,830.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $3,683.36.

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.