Vicus Capital Acquires New Shares in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Vicus Capital bought a new position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 64 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in AutoZone in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 50.0% during the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 15 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth $47,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth $50,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth about $50,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AZO. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating and set a $2,600.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,025.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $3,200.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,202.71.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,613,046.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,613,046.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660 over the last ninety days. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AutoZone Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of AZO stock opened at $3,177.66 on Wednesday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,375.35 and a 12 month high of $3,256.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.28 billion, a PE ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,134.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,007.80.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $46.46 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 157.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.