AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Acquired by Carnegie Investment Counsel

Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,230 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Carnegie Investment Counsel’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $3,938,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 18.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,717,000 after acquiring an additional 6,898 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,544,000 after acquiring an additional 60,483 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in AutoZone by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 34,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,455,000 after buying an additional 7,922 shares during the last quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in AutoZone by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,460,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verde Capital Management purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,137,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO stock opened at $3,221.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $54.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.52, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,220.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,130.04. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,658.18 and a 1-year high of $3,416.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $33.69 by ($1.17). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $32.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 153.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on AZO. UBS Group upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $3,634.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com lowered AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 21st. Finally, Argus upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,560.00 to $3,678.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,429.84.

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.