AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $3,384.89.

AZO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 21st. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,025.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, September 30th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total transaction of $40,392,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. The trade was a 48.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoZone

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,008,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 108.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 21,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,784,000 after purchasing an additional 11,037 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,208,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 18.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,717,000 after buying an additional 6,898 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 44.9% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC now owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,286,000 after acquiring an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,202.00 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.74 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone has a 1-year low of $2,510.00 and a 1-year high of $3,416.71. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,183.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,109.01.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $33.69 by ($1.17). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $32.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that AutoZone will post 154.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone Company Profile

AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company provides various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products.