Aristides Capital LLC Buys 50 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Aristides Capital LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 12.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 450 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the quarter. Aristides Capital LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Alcosta Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Alcosta Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,006,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its stake in AutoZone by 23.0% during the 4th quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 465 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,489,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in AutoZone by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 254 shares of the company’s stock worth $813,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Nutshell Asset Management Ltd acquired a new position in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at about $8,770,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 41.1% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 73,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $233,718,000 after purchasing an additional 21,266 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Down 4.5 %

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,654.02 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $3,531.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,303.38. The company has a market cap of $61.32 billion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,728.97 and a twelve month high of $3,916.81.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total value of $5,670,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,501,200. This represents a 79.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction of $568,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $177,500. This trade represents a 76.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 6,721 shares of company stock worth $24,609,331 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,753.00 to $3,841.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group lifted their target price on AutoZone from $3,875.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,724.00.

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.