TIAA Trust National Association Acquires 5 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

TIAA Trust National Association lifted its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 1.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 264 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AZO. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth about $70,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,200.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,150.00 to $3,225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,038.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,465.00 to $3,340.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. 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 report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,112.71.

Insider Activity

In other AutoZone news, VP Jenna M. Bedsole acquired 36 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $2,757.10 per share, for a total transaction of $99,255.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the vice president now owns 36 shares in the company, valued at $99,255.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE AZO traded up $24.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $2,950.40. 90,442 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 114,871. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $2,870.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2,893.69. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,375.35 and a one year high of $3,256.37. The company has a market cap of $50.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 21st. The company reported $36.69 earnings per share (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 last year, the firm earned $34.12 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone 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.