AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Acquired by FORA Capital LLC

FORA Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 39.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,829 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 803 shares during the period. AutoZone accounts for approximately 1.0% of FORA Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. FORA Capital LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $9,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 482,040.2% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,343,117,000 after purchasing an additional 419,375 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 324,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,039,421,000 after acquiring an additional 17,518 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $834,556,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $683,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,771 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 204,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $655,840,000 after purchasing an additional 26,036 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Price Performance

AutoZone stock opened at $3,746.63 on Thursday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,728.97 and a 12-month high of $3,916.81. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,642.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,391.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.88 billion, a PE ratio of 25.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.44.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) 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 business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. On average, analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,924 shares in the company, valued at $10,555,640. The trade was a 49.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total value of $568,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $177,500. This represents a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,521 shares of company stock valued at $42,177,331 over the last three months. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Capital set a $3,763.00 target price on AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,821.91.

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.