Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 32 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 14.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 194 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Prasad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth $432,000. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 151 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in AutoZone by 44.4% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 257 shares of the company’s stock worth $831,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC now owns 1,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,927,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 5,723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,325,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on AZO. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,396.14 on Tuesday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,708.09 and a 52-week high of $3,484.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3,322.47 and a 200 day moving average of $3,209.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.70.

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

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.