AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Bought by Mizuho Securities USA LLC

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 44.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,602 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 494 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $5,130,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in AutoZone by 171.1% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock worth $391,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Condor Capital Management boosted its position in AutoZone by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Condor Capital Management now owns 887 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,840,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in AutoZone by 11,848.7% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 13,741 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,999,000 after purchasing an additional 13,626 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 6,528.6% during the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,486,000 after buying an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 8,099 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,933,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,610.00, for a total transaction of $10,288,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,924 shares in the company, valued at $10,555,640. This trade represents a 49.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 136 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.08, for a total value of $482,810.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,430,682.24. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,721 shares of company stock valued at $17,009,311. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on AZO shares. Barclays increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Citigroup increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,683.36.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of AZO opened at $3,605.88 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,433.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,258.73. The company has a market capitalization of $60.51 billion, a PE ratio of 24.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,728.97 and a 52-week high of $3,704.43.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $29.11 by ($0.82). The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About AutoZone

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.