AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Bought by Ellsworth Advisors LLC

Ellsworth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 34.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 105 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,717,000 after acquiring an additional 6,898 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,544,000 after acquiring an additional 60,483 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 34,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,455,000 after acquiring an additional 7,922 shares during the period. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,460,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Verde Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,137,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AZO stock opened at $3,221.06 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $54.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.52, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $3,222.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,136.66. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,658.18 and a one year high of $3,416.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $33.69 by ($1.17). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $32.55 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 153.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on AZO shares. Argus raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,560.00 to $3,678.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,429.84.

AutoZone 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.