Isthmus Partners LLC Makes New Investment in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,419 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,987,000. AutoZone makes up about 1.7% of Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its position in AutoZone by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 4,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,315,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments lifted its position in AutoZone by 132.8% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Numerai GP LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 1,199.3% in the 3rd quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,525,000 after buying an additional 1,619 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $678,000. Finally, Caprock Group LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,049,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total value of $173,936.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. This trade represents a 1.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Down 1.8%

AutoZone stock opened at $3,318.09 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3,210.72 and a 1-year high of $4,388.11. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $3,492.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3,597.74. The company has a market capitalization of $54.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.43.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The business had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $28.29 EPS. AutoZone’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 148.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Argus upgraded shares of AutoZone from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4,325.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 9th. Roth Mkm cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,200.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $4,020.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus 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.