Pittenger & Anderson Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lifted its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 9.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 58 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5 shares during the quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $183,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in AutoZone by 35.3% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,138,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 60.7% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 22,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,326,000 after acquiring an additional 8,427 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in AutoZone by 12.9% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 3,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,059,000 after buying an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,816,000. Finally, Verde Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,137,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AutoZone stock opened at $3,059.83 on Wednesday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,510.00 and a 1 year high of $3,256.37. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $3,114.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,014.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $46.46 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target 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. Truist Financial upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,341.00 to $3,501.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $3,634.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,202.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,055,777.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

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.