Becker Capital Management Inc. Sells 152 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Becker Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 1.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,801 shares of the company’s stock after selling 152 shares during the quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $33,468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AZO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,797,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,711,912,000 after purchasing an additional 26,544 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 371,123.0% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 935,482 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,472,724,000 after buying an additional 935,230 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in AutoZone by 1.6% during the second 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 1.9% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter worth about $981,202,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO stock opened at $3,751.68 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $3,594.55 and a 200 day moving average of $3,829.06. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3,210.72 and a 1-year high of $4,388.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.17 billion, a PE ratio of 26.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.41.

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 the consensus estimate of $32.69 by ($1.65). AutoZone had a net margin of 12.78% and a negative return on equity of 65.38%. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $32.52 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Gabelli reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, November 6th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,811.00 to $4,268.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research cut AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $4,555.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,280.63.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total value of $21,867,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 2,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,719,900. This trade represents a 69.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,102,665. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 347 shares of company stock worth $1,179,256 and have sold 9,447 shares worth $34,179,923. 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.