Inceptionr LLC Invests $471,000 in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $471,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rock Creek Group LP purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the third quarter worth $25,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $51,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at about $54,000. Finally, Buck Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the third quarter worth about $64,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE AZO traded down $6.50 on Friday, hitting $2,894.49. The company had a trading volume of 37,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 150,096. The company has a market capitalization of $50.13 billion, a PE ratio of 20.41, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $3,039.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $2,814.89. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,277.88 and a 12-month high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $26.08 by $2.81. The company had revenue of $3.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 56.06% and a net margin of 14.70%. AutoZone’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $24.64 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.4 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on AZO. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,400.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Mizuho began coverage on AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson lifted their target price on AutoZone from $2,770.00 to $3,025.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,505.00 to $3,420.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,115.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total transaction of $8,993,280.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,921 shares in the company, valued at $8,756,456.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other AutoZone news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,845,512. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,756,456.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,990 shares of company stock valued at $50,335,193 in the last 90 days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.