AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Sold by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Erste Asset Management GmbH lowered its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 220 shares during the quarter. AutoZone accounts for 0.8% of Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.12% of AutoZone worth $63,439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth $47,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth $61,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 25.0% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth $67,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoZone news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total transaction of $568,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares in the company, valued at $177,500. This trade represents a 76.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total transaction of $5,670,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,501,200. This represents a 79.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on AZO shares. Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,775.00 to $3,830.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,651.91.

AutoZone Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,545.76 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $3,390.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,238.89. The company has a market cap of $59.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,728.97 and a twelve month high of $3,704.43.

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

AutoZone Profile

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.