Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Lowers Position in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 92.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 847 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,146 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $2,873,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $716,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 498.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 324 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $583,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,289,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 3,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,110,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on AZO. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird cut AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3,900.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Argus upgraded AutoZone from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4,325.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,290.91.

Key Stories Impacting AutoZone

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AutoZone reported adjusted EPS of $38.07, topping analyst estimates, and total revenue rose 8.4% year over year to about $4.84 billion, showing the core business remains healthy. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Domestic momentum was a bright spot, with same-store sales up 4.1% and commercial/DIY demand still resilient, supporting confidence that repair demand is holding up despite a mixed consumer backdrop. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: On the earnings call, management sounded cautious, saying growth is being offset by accounting-related and margin headwinds, which may limit how much investors reward the beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue came in slightly below Wall Street expectations, and several reports say the selloff was driven by that miss rather than the EPS beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investors also reacted to gross-margin compression, a non-cash LIFO accounting hit, and weaker international performance, which pressured sentiment despite strong sales growth. Article Title

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total value of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. This trade represents a 1.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Down 9.0%

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,100.16 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,448.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,579.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.43. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $3,001.00 and a 12-month high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $36.22 by $1.85. The business had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.86 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $35.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 149.16 EPS for the current year.

About AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc (NYSE: AZO) is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do?it?yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.