Xponance Inc. Sells 86 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Xponance Inc. trimmed its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,323 shares of the company’s stock after selling 86 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $11,178,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Rock Creek Group LP purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth $25,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the second quarter worth $32,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 166.7% in the third quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 16 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth $38,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE AZO traded up $13.63 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $2,986.80. 8,036 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 153,983. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,277.88 and a 52-week high of $3,256.37. The company has a market capitalization of $51.73 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $2,998.95 and its 200-day moving average is $2,754.16.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $3.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $24.64 EPS. AutoZone’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In related news, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,912,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total value of $8,993,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,756,456.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,912,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,990 shares of company stock valued at $50,335,193. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on AZO. UBS Group raised 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. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,346.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $2,770.00 to $3,025.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $2,900.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.