Caerus Investment Advisors LLC Invests $704,000 in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Caerus Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $704,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 213.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 204 shares of the company’s stock worth $875,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 20,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,600,000 after buying an additional 811 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in AutoZone by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 531 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,278,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $47,879,000. Finally, Second Line Capital LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 2.0% in the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $656,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE AZO opened at $3,439.82 on Wednesday. The firm 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. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $3,210.72 and a 52-week high of $4,388.11. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $3,657.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,789.13.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZO has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $4,020.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on AutoZone from $4,700.00 to $4,500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. 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 research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,076.00 to $4,045.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,312.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 97 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,341.99, for a total transaction of $324,173.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,910,852.36. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Michael A. George acquired 145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3,398.13 per share, for a total transaction of $492,728.85. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 566 shares in the company, valued at $1,923,341.58. This trade represents a 34.44% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 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.

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.