Ossiam Increases Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Ossiam lifted its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 87.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,917 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares during the period. Ossiam’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $12,515,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 130.7% in the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 368 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,579,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank raised its holdings in AutoZone by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 6,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,085,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in AutoZone by 0.5% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 7,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,198,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,557.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $58.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3,210.72 and a twelve month high of $4,388.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,649.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,804.98.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $28.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of AutoZone from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Argus raised shares of AutoZone from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $4,325.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,318.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total transaction of $823,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,102,665. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael A. George purchased 145 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $3,398.13 per share, with a total value of $492,728.85. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,923,341.58. This trade represents a 34.44% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders sold 9,447 shares of company stock worth $34,179,923 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

About AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc (NYSE: AZO) is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do‑it‑yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.