AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Sold by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 569 shares of the company’s stock after selling 156 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in AutoZone in the first quarter valued at $41,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 15 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in AutoZone by 33.3% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 28 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $2,600.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Citigroup reduced their price target on AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $3,025.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, September 30th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,038.00 to $3,125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,202.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,055,777.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,182.07 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,375.35 and a 52-week high of $3,256.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.01, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $3,133.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,007.35.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $53.31 by ($5.20). The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. AutoZone’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $46.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 157.99 earnings per share for the current year.

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.