Hantz Financial Services Inc. Sells 47 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. decreased its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,412 shares of the company’s stock after selling 47 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $4,448,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 354,692.5% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 993,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,293,100,000 after buying an additional 993,139 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone by 137.6% in the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 310,043 shares of the company’s stock valued at $918,998,000 after purchasing an additional 179,543 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in AutoZone by 2.3% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 150,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $446,684,000 after purchasing an additional 3,382 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the second quarter worth $424,000. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 2,714.8% in the 2nd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 120,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,267,000 after buying an additional 115,924 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In related news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total transaction of $40,392,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. This trade represents a 48.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,176.81 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $3,121.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,035.70. The company has a market cap of $53.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,510.00 and a 52-week high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $53.31 by ($5.20). The company had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. AutoZone’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $46.46 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on AZO. Roth Capital raised AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. BNP Paribas upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $3,025.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.