AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Sold by Donaldson Capital Management LLC

Donaldson Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 30.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 564 shares of the company’s stock after selling 247 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,913,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AZO. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC increased its stake in AutoZone by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 6,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,963,000 after buying an additional 651 shares during the period. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC boosted its position in AutoZone by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Terra Nova Asset Management LLC now owns 759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,574,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth $75,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 75.0% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the period. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 342.8% during the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 673 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,282,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total transaction of $823,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,102,665. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 97 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,341.99, for a total transaction of $324,173.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,910,852.36. The trade was a 2.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 9,447 shares of company stock valued at $34,179,923 over the last three months. 2.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on AutoZone from $4,200.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Barclays lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on AutoZone from $4,800.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Roth Mkm cut their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,312.13.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,315.90 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $3,643.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3,739.69. The company has a market capitalization of $54.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $3,210.72 and a 1 year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.The business had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $28.29 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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.