Leonteq Securities AG Makes New $583,000 Investment in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 387.1% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 77,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,832,000 after purchasing an additional 61,821 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 39.5% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 176,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $584,730,000 after purchasing an additional 50,071 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in AutoZone by 80.8% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 101,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $432,059,000 after purchasing an additional 45,212 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 401.2% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 51,803 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,247,000 after purchasing an additional 41,467 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,797,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,711,912,000 after purchasing an additional 26,544 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO stock opened at $3,401.96 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $56.06 billion, a PE ratio of 23.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $3,461.57 and a 200-day moving average of $3,585.48. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $3,210.72 and a one year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.AutoZone’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $28.29 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 149.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total value of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,826,568.64. This represents a 1.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on AZO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Argus raised 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. Roth Mkm dropped their price objective on AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 price objective on AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,300.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,290.91.

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.