229 AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Purchased by Grandfield & Dodd LLC

Grandfield & Dodd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,222 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $14,778,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Vision Retirement LLC raised its position in AutoZone by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Vision Retirement LLC now owns 602 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,033,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming lifted its stake in AutoZone by 13.6% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 25 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 56 shares of the company’s stock valued at $158,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 84 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 73 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis LeRiche sold 1,455 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,100.00, for a total transaction of $4,510,500.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,367,100. This trade represents a 76.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,166.19 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.72, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.40. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $2,964.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3,261.27. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,730.65 and a 52-week high of $3,996.25.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 22nd. The company reported $56.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $55.51. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 90.08% and a net margin of 12.65%. The business had revenue of $6.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $48.71 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 170.30 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on AZO shares. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Piper Sandler set a $3,500.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,150.00 to $3,500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,200.00 to $3,000.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,096.00 to $3,917.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,674.36.

About AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc is a specialty retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts, equipment and accessories. The company serves do-it-yourself customers, professional automotive technicians and commercial repair businesses through its retail stores, distribution network and digital platforms.

Its merchandise includes replacement batteries, brakes, filters, belts, hoses, ignition components, tools, fluids, lighting products and other maintenance items. AutoZone also offers private-label products under brands such as Duralast, as well as vehicle diagnostic services and parts delivery for commercial customers.

Founded in 1979 as Auto Shack by Pitt Hyde, the company adopted the AutoZone name in 1987.