AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Purchased by Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 7.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,067 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $10,402,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the second quarter worth $356,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 3.8% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 8.9% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,110,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in AutoZone by 52.3% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,667,000 after acquiring an additional 4,039 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on AutoZone from $4,200.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 target price on AutoZone in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Evercore boosted their target price on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. DA Davidson set a $4,300.00 target price on AutoZone in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Roth Mkm decreased their target price on AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,312.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total value of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. This represents a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,413.04 on Wednesday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $3,210.72 and a 52-week high of $4,388.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $3,515.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3,606.10. The company has a market capitalization of $56.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.The business had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $28.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 148.93 earnings per share for the current year.

About AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc (NYSE: AZO) is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do‑it‑yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.