Flputnam Investment Management Co. Boosts Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 93 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 232,194.6% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 731,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,891,963,000 after buying an additional 731,413 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 107,977.3% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 699,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,724,500,000 after purchasing an additional 698,613 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 368.0% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 411,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,242,000 after purchasing an additional 323,536 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at about $658,788,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in AutoZone by 111.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 335,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $851,379,000 after purchasing an additional 176,623 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total transaction of $13,247,439.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 900 shares in the company, valued at $2,845,512. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total transaction of $13,247,439.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,845,512. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,200.00, for a total transaction of $6,720,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,912,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,990 shares of company stock valued at $50,335,193 in the last quarter. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $2,973.17 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $2,998.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $2,754.16. The stock has a market cap of $51.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,277.88 and a 12 month high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $26.08 by $2.81. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.70% and a negative return on equity of 56.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $24.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.98 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on AZO. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $2,900.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho initiated coverage on AutoZone in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,086.61.

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.