ABN Amro Investment Solutions Decreases Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

ABN Amro Investment Solutions decreased its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 4.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 18,624 shares of the company’s stock after selling 940 shares during the quarter. AutoZone makes up 1.6% of ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. ABN Amro Investment Solutions owned 0.11% of AutoZone worth $79,901,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 600.0% in the third quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 7 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. Aspect Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 700.0% in the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 8 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,775.00 to $4,200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on AutoZone from $4,800.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $4,650.00 price target (down from $4,750.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,811.00 to $4,268.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,271.25.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,850.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $63.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.85, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $3,210.72 and a 12-month high of $4,388.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $3,538.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3,845.49.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $31.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $32.69 by ($1.65). AutoZone had a net margin of 12.78% and a negative return on equity of 65.38%. The business had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $32.52 EPS. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 97 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian Hannasch bought 147 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $3,393.09 per share, for a total transaction of $498,784.23. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 962 shares in the company, valued at $3,264,152.58. This represents a 18.04% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 347 shares of company stock valued at $1,179,256 and sold 9,447 shares valued at $34,179,923. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

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.