Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Buys 18 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 626 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 15 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone in the third quarter worth $47,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the second quarter valued at $50,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the second quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 33.3% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 28 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,130.96 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $3,134.60 and its 200 day moving average is $3,010.14. The stock has a market cap of $53.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,425.00 and a 52-week high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $46.46 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 157.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $3,634.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Redburn Atlantic raised AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $3,200.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,038.00 to $3,125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,202.71.

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.