Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Acquires New Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,842,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth about $47,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth about $61,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on AZO shares. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Argus downgraded shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,775.00 to $3,830.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,700.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,651.91.

AutoZone Price Performance

AutoZone stock opened at $3,611.51 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,415.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,250.39. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,728.97 and a one year high of $3,704.43. The company has a market capitalization of $60.61 billion, a PE ratio of 24.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its 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). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 136 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.08, for a total value of $482,810.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,430,682.24. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 417 shares in the company, valued at $1,501,200. This trade represents a 79.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,871 shares of company stock valued at $6,720,811. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Company 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.