Oak Thistle LLC Takes $4.50 Million Position in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,504,000. AutoZone makes up about 0.6% of Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. L2 Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone by 4.2% in the second quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 75 shares of the company’s stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in AutoZone by 2.5% during the third quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $536,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the period. Obermeyer Wealth Partners boosted its position in AutoZone by 4.7% during the third quarter. Obermeyer Wealth Partners now owns 67 shares of the company’s stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 5.5% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 58 shares of the company’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 3.6% during the third quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 86 shares of the company’s stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total transaction of $21,867,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 2,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,719,900. This trade represents a 69.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO opened at $3,387.01 on Wednesday. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $3,210.72 and a one year high of $4,388.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,603.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,698.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.81 billion, a PE ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.41.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $28.29 earnings per share. Analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AZO shares. Evercore increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered shares of AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3,900.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, February 9th. Argus upgraded shares of AutoZone from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4,325.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,274.00 to $4,345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment 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, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,312.13.

AutoZone Company Profile

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.