Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Buys 151 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 13.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,282 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $5,500,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,797,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,711,912,000 after purchasing an additional 26,544 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 371,123.0% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 935,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,472,724,000 after buying an additional 935,230 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in AutoZone by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 714,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,650,870,000 after buying an additional 11,088 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in AutoZone by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 444,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,649,228,000 after buying an additional 8,187 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $981,202,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AZO shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $4,400.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Truist Financial cut their target price on AutoZone from $4,076.00 to $4,045.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,311.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brian Hannasch bought 147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $3,393.09 per share, with a total value of $498,784.23. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 962 shares in the company, valued at $3,264,152.58. This represents a 18.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. George bought 145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $3,398.13 per share, for a total transaction of $492,728.85. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,341.58. The trade was a 34.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 347 shares of company stock worth $1,179,256 and sold 9,447 shares worth $34,179,923. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,641.03 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $60.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $3,621.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3,821.39. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3,210.72 and a 1-year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $27.59 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.27 billion during 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 was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $28.29 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone 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.