AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Acquired by Chesley Taft & Associates LLC

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 293.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,125 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,821 shares during the quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $16,152,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 232,194.6% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 731,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,891,963,000 after buying an additional 731,413 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth about $678,350,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 111.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 335,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $851,379,000 after buying an additional 176,623 shares in the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 32.0% in the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 243,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $629,780,000 after purchasing an additional 58,989 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 42.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 195,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,512,000 after purchasing an additional 58,234 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Jenna M. Bedsole purchased 36 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,757.10 per share, for a total transaction of $99,255.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 36 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,255.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,250.00 to $3,278.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,150.00 to $3,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,038.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $2,600.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,420.00 to $3,250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,112.88.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO stock traded up $25.06 on Thursday, hitting $2,954.76. The stock had a trading volume of 106,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 153,697. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $2,895.17 and its 200-day moving average is $2,860.20. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,375.35 and a 52-week high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 21st. The company reported $36.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $35.67 by $1.02. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.60% and a negative return on equity of 54.58%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $34.12 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.57 earnings per share for the current year.

About AutoZone

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.