Telemus Capital LLC Lowers Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Telemus Capital LLC decreased its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO – Get Rating) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,564 shares of the company’s stock after selling 49 shares during the quarter. Telemus Capital LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $6,377,000 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 the business. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 15.3% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 219 shares of the company’s stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in AutoZone by 184.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 467 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,316,000. Calamos Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,775,000. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP lifted its position in AutoZone by 162.4% during the 3rd quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 1,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,675,000 after acquiring an additional 773 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO William C. Rhodes III sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,479.29, for a total transaction of $2,975,148.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 3,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,421,302. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO William C. Rhodes III sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,479.29, for a total value of $2,975,148.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,421,302. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Grant E. Mcgee sold 1,575 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,511.63, for a total value of $3,955,817.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $617,860.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,872 shares of company stock worth $94,603,027 in the last three months. 2.59% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wedbush boosted their price target on AutoZone from $2,350.00 to $2,600.00 in a research report on Monday, November 28th. MKM Partners upped their target price on AutoZone from $2,350.00 to $2,650.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on AutoZone from $2,725.00 to $2,800.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Stephens upped their target price on AutoZone to $2,800.00 in a research report on Friday, December 2nd. Finally, Guggenheim raised AutoZone from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $2,735.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $2,652.76.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO opened at $2,365.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $44.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.44, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $2,452.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $2,386.42. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,703.32 and a 12 month high of $2,610.05.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 28th. The company reported $24.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.33 by $3.31. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.56 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 64.72% and a net margin of 14.32%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $22.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 127.64 earnings per share for the current year.

About AutoZone

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AutoZone, Inc engages in the retail and distribution of automotive replacement parts and accessories. The firm offers ALLDATA, which produces, sells, and maintains diagnostic and repair information software used in the automotive repair industry and E-commerce, which includes direct sales to customers.