Cerity Partners LLC Buys 476 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 28.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,160 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $5,585,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Rock Creek Group LP bought a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp increased its stake in AutoZone by 166.7% during the 3rd quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 16 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total value of $8,993,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,756,456.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total value of $8,993,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,756,456.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 1,900 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,735.00, for a total value of $5,196,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,424,935. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 17,890 shares of company stock valued at $55,531,693. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $2,909.94 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $50.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,277.88 and a 12-month high of $3,256.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $2,992.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2,751.32.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $26.08 by $2.81. The business had revenue of $3.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 56.06% and a net margin of 14.70%. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $24.64 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.98 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AZO shares. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,346.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. TheStreet downgraded AutoZone from a “c” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Mizuho started coverage on AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 target price on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on AutoZone from $2,770.00 to $3,025.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,086.61.

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.