Walter Public Investments Inc. Reduces Stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Walter Public Investments Inc. cut its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,703 shares of the company’s stock after selling 261 shares during the period. AutoZone accounts for about 4.2% of Walter Public Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $24,265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of AZO. PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in AutoZone by 137.6% during the 2nd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 310,043 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,998,000 after acquiring an additional 179,543 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth $424,000. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 564.2% during the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 152,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,338,000 after purchasing an additional 129,193 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 2,714.8% during the 2nd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 120,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,267,000 after purchasing an additional 115,924 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 106.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 117,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $371,552,000 after purchasing an additional 60,852 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on AZO. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $3,025.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $3,634.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday. BNP Paribas upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,202.71.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total value of $922,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at $42,613,046.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.9 %

AZO stock opened at $3,129.16 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.46 billion, a PE ratio of 21.64, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,375.35 and a twelve month high of $3,256.37. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,131.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,007.34.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $46.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 157.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About AutoZone

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.