AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Holdings Trimmed by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp lowered its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 23.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,365 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,389 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.13% of AutoZone worth $79,312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 66.7% in the 1st quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 2,860 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,175.70, for a total value of $11,942,502.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,194,570.80. The trade was a 69.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,875.90, for a total value of $11,627,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,337,007.50. This trade represents a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $4,094.61 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $68.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.40. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,980.10 and a 52-week high of $4,388.11. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $4,152.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,859.75.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 23rd. The company reported $48.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $50.52 by ($1.81). The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.26 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 13.19% and a negative return on equity of 60.49%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $51.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoZone announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, October 8th that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AZO shares. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $4,850.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on AutoZone from $4,200.00 to $4,850.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $4,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on AutoZone from $4,255.00 to $4,750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,894.00 to $4,090.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,544.68.

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.