Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Trims Stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. decreased its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,406 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15 shares during the period. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $4,502,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in AutoZone by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,717,000 after acquiring an additional 6,898 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 34,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,455,000 after buying an additional 7,922 shares during the last quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,460,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in AutoZone by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 66,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,383,000 after buying an additional 7,586 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 82.6% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,033,000 after purchasing an additional 77,015 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AZO shares. Raymond James reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Capital set a $3,763.00 target price on AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,490.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded AutoZone from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $3,044.00 to $3,811.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,724.00.

AutoZone Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,571.85 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $3,576.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,347.51. The stock has a market cap of $59.94 billion, a PE ratio of 23.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,728.97 and a 52 week high of $3,916.81.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,800.01, for a total transaction of $7,600,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $619,401.63. This trade represents a 92.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,721 shares of company stock valued at $24,609,331 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.