Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 21,394 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. decreased its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 70.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,144 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,394 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 0.05% of AutoZone worth $23,644,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Rock Creek Group LP acquired a new position in AutoZone in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in AutoZone in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp lifted its stake in AutoZone by 166.7% in the third quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 16 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. Wedbush raised their price target on AutoZone from $2,950.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,375.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. UBS Group raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on AutoZone from $2,770.00 to $3,025.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,089.61.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total transaction of $13,247,439.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,845,512. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 15,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,992,208.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total value of $13,247,439.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,845,512. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,997 shares of company stock valued at $61,108,338 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE AZO traded up $19.90 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $3,104.94. The company had a trading volume of 84,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 132,935. The company has a market capitalization of $53.72 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $2,966.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $2,728.94. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,277.88 and a twelve month high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $26.08 by $2.81. The firm had revenue of $3.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 56.06% and a net margin of 14.70%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $24.64 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.33 EPS for the current 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.