AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Stock Holdings Lifted by Stance Capital LLC

Stance Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 215.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,267 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the quarter. AutoZone comprises approximately 2.0% of Stance Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Stance Capital LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $5,436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AZO. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the second quarter worth about $356,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone during the second quarter worth about $245,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in AutoZone by 11.0% during the second quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 162 shares of the company’s stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning lifted its position in AutoZone by 23.4% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 3,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,231,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoZone news, Director Brian Hannasch acquired 147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $3,393.09 per share, with a total value of $498,784.23. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,264,152.58. This trade represents a 18.04% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total value of $21,867,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,719,900. This represents a 69.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,447 shares of company stock valued at $34,179,923. 2.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AZO. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen cut their target price on AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $4,300.00 price target (up from $4,150.00) on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Mizuho lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,550.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore upped their price objective on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,312.13.

AutoZone Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of AZO stock opened at $3,439.82 on Wednesday. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3,210.72 and a fifty-two week high of $4,388.11. The stock has a market cap of $56.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,657.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,789.13.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $27.59 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $28.29 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoZone Company Profile

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.