AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Sold by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. reduced its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 28.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,929 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,153 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $25,389,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AZO. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in AutoZone by 25.0% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of AZO opened at $3,420.42 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $3,292.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,183.76. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,672.31 and a twelve month high of $3,484.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.70.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $33.69 by ($1.17). The business had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $32.55 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Truist Financial raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,501.00 to $3,753.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Capital upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $3,700.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Company 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.