Fiera Capital Corp Sells 17,220 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Fiera Capital Corp decreased its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 288,775 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,220 shares during the period. AutoZone comprises 4.0% of Fiera Capital Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Fiera Capital Corp owned about 1.74% of AutoZone worth $1,238,914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in AZO. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the second quarter valued at about $356,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 27.3% during the second quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 14 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its position in AutoZone by 8.3% during the second quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $483,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its stake in AutoZone by 32.4% in the second quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 143 shares of the company’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AZO shares. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on AutoZone from $4,800.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays set a $3,880.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,550.00 price objective (down previously from $3,850.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,700.00 to $4,500.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,271.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total transaction of $21,867,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,627 shares in the company, valued at $9,719,900. This trade represents a 69.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. George acquired 145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $3,398.13 per share, with a total value of $492,728.85. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,341.58. This represents a 34.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 347 shares of company stock worth $1,179,256 and have sold 9,447 shares worth $34,179,923. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,743.63 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,557.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,843.93. The stock has a market cap of $62.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.11, a PEG ratio of 1.78 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $31.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $32.69 by ($1.65). The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 65.38% and a net margin of 12.78%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $32.52 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

About AutoZone

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.