Intech Investment Management LLC Sells 1,121 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Intech Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 21.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,167 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,121 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $13,126,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of AZO. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $706,000 after buying an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. boosted its stake in AutoZone by 4.3% during the second quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 98 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in AutoZone by 14.3% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 32 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 4.1% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 2.6% during the second quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,070.94 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $3,111.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,028.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.90 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,510.00 and a twelve month high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $46.46 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total value 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. This represents a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value of $4,910,150.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This represents a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660 over the last quarter. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup cut their price target on AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,200.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 21st. Roth Capital upgraded shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,202.71.

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.