AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Purchased by Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 607 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 301 shares of the company’s stock worth $765,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 2.9% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 142 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 2.0% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock worth $513,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Plancorp LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 3.0% in the third quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 136 shares of the company’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alcosta Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 0.3% in the third quarter. Alcosta Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,188,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO traded up $2.48 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $2,963.52. 42,909 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 153,221. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,277.88 and a 52-week high of $3,256.37. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,014.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2,767.20. The firm has a market cap of $51.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.70.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $26.08 by $2.81. The business had revenue of $3.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 56.06% and a net margin of 14.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $24.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other AutoZone news, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,200.00, for a total value of $6,720,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 910 shares in the company, valued at $2,912,000. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total transaction of $13,247,439.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 900 shares in the company, valued at $2,845,512. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,200.00, for a total value of $6,720,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,912,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,990 shares of company stock worth $50,335,193. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on AZO. Truist Financial upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,363.00 to $3,523.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wedbush upped their price target on AutoZone from $2,950.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,000.00 to $3,200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Barclays increased their target price on AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,086.61.

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.