AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Position Raised by Aviva PLC

Aviva PLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO – Get Rating) by 27.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 15,314 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,288 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $22,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in AutoZone by 83.3% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 11 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. RFP Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Robbins Farley bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors own 91.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on AZO shares. 51job reaffirmed a “maintains” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, May 11th. Citigroup upped their price target on AutoZone from $2,782.00 to $3,125.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AutoZone from $2,850.00 to $3,000.00 in a report on Monday, May 15th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on AutoZone from $2,750.00 to $2,975.00 in a report on Friday, May 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $2,683.56.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $2,459.75 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.26 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.68. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,959.58 and a 1 year high of $2,750.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $2,575.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $2,499.14.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 23rd. The company reported $34.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $30.84 by $3.28. The firm had revenue of $4.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.32% and a negative return on equity of 64.72%. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $29.03 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 129.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,420 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,573.04, for a total value of $3,653,716.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 379 shares in the company, valued at $975,182.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,573.04, for a total transaction of $3,653,716.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $975,182.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Preston Frazer sold 1,730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,523.07, for a total transaction of $4,364,911.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,386,824.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 36,960 shares of company stock worth $90,128,092. Corporate insiders own 2.59% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Profile

(Get Rating)

AutoZone, Inc engages in the retail and distribution of automotive replacement parts and accessories. The firm offers ALLDATA, which produces, sells, and maintains diagnostic and repair information software used in the automotive repair industry and E-commerce, which includes direct sales to customers.