Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Has $404.94 Million Position in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,399 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,480 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned 0.72% of AutoZone worth $404,943,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZO. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at $356,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $921,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,110,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 52.3% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,667,000 after acquiring an additional 4,039 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,082.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.35. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,928.11 and a 1 year high of $4,388.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3,399.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,543.31.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $36.22 by $1.85. The firm had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.86 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.40% and a negative return on equity of 77.83%. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $35.36 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, Director Brian Hannasch acquired 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2,987.00 per share, for a total transaction of $492,855.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,641,153. This trade represents a 15.65% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,826,568.64. This trade represents a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,850.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,000.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,478.00 to $3,979.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,040.87.

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.