AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Acquired by Ballentine Partners LLC

Ballentine Partners LLC grew its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 640 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5 shares during the quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $2,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 25.0% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,299.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.05, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,672.31 and a fifty-two week high of $3,416.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $3,223.86 and a 200 day moving average of $3,139.31.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company earned $32.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 153.09 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on AZO. Argus increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,560.00 to $3,678.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Redburn Atlantic raised AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,429.84.

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.