Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Position in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,580 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 196 shares during the quarter. AutoZone accounts for approximately 1.7% of Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $8,750,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in AutoZone by 1.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,797,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,711,912,000 after acquiring an additional 26,544 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 714,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,650,870,000 after purchasing an additional 11,088 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 269,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $912,900,000 after purchasing an additional 3,868 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 1.2% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 189,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $814,240,000 after purchasing an additional 2,333 shares during the period. Finally, Marshfield Associates grew its holdings in AutoZone by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 172,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $739,347,000 after purchasing an additional 5,293 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was 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 approximately $9,719,900. This trade represents a 69.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,398.84 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $56.01 billion, a PE ratio of 23.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3,210.72 and a fifty-two week high of $4,388.11. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,618.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,708.77.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. AutoZone’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $28.29 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. DA Davidson set a $4,300.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wolfe Research downgraded AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Roth Mkm dropped their target price on AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $3,900.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,312.13.

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.