AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Sold by LRI Investments LLC

LRI Investments LLC reduced its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6 shares during the quarter. LRI Investments LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $93,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 354,692.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 993,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,293,100,000 after acquiring an additional 993,139 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in AutoZone by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 150,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,684,000 after acquiring an additional 3,382 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $424,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its position in AutoZone by 2,714.8% in the 2nd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 120,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,267,000 after acquiring an additional 115,924 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in AutoZone by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 104,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $329,699,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This trade represents a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. This represents a 48.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.7 %

AZO opened at $3,347.85 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3,134.07 and a 200-day moving average of $3,053.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.36, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,510.00 and a 12-month high of $3,416.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $32.55 EPS. On average, analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 155.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup decreased their price target on AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Roth Capital raised AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Mizuho increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,232.88.

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.