Scott & Selber Inc. Trims Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Scott & Selber Inc. decreased its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,291 shares of the company’s stock after selling 29 shares during the period. AutoZone accounts for 1.2% of Scott & Selber Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Scott & Selber Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $4,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth $47,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at $61,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 25.0% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth about $66,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,471.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,728.97 and a one year high of $3,519.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $3,341.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3,219.44.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $33.69 by ($1.17). The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $32.55 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AZO. TD Cowen lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,450.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Argus increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,560.00 to $3,678.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,442.61.

AutoZone 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.