Hantz Financial Services Inc. Sells 47 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lessened its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,412 shares of the company’s stock after selling 47 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $4,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 24.4% during the third quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 13,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,160,000 after acquiring an additional 2,621 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 15.6% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 743 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,340,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Fiduciary Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 101.9% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 523 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,647,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 7.2% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,375,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, FORA Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 42.7% during the third quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 2,026 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,382,000 after acquiring an additional 606 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,176.81 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $3,121.25 and a 200-day moving average of $3,035.70. The company has a market capitalization of $53.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,510.00 and a 52-week high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). The company had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $46.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,055,777.55. The trade was a 48.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This represents a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZO. StockNews.com cut AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 21st. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $3,634.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,200.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,202.71.

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.