79 Shares in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Purchased by Vista Investment Partners II LLC

Vista Investment Partners II LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 79 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $253,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AZO. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,717,000 after buying an additional 6,898 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in AutoZone by 186.8% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,544,000 after purchasing an additional 60,483 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 34,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,455,000 after acquiring an additional 7,922 shares in the last quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,460,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 592.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,012,000 after purchasing an additional 7,879 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.1 %

AZO opened at $3,620.28 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $60.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,728.97 and a 52 week high of $3,636.96. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,365.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,230.04.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. Sell-side analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on AZO shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,753.00 to $3,841.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Argus downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,850.00 to $4,000.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,646.62.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total value of $568,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares in the company, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.