AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) is Boston Partners’ 5th Largest Position

Boston Partners cut its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 344,331 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,956 shares during the period. AutoZone accounts for about 1.3% of Boston Partners’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Boston Partners owned approximately 2.05% of AutoZone worth $1,103,600,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total value of $5,670,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,501,200. This represents a 79.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total value of $568,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares in the company, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,871 shares of company stock valued at $6,720,811 over the last 90 days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO stock opened at $3,620.16 on Tuesday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,728.97 and a 52 week high of $3,704.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.75 billion, a PE ratio of 24.19, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $3,408.03 and its 200-day moving average is $3,247.36.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. TD Cowen upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Bank of America upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,651.91.

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.