AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Acquired by Baillie Gifford & Co.

Baillie Gifford & Co. lifted its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 0.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 120,313 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned about 0.71% of AutoZone worth $378,991,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Waverton Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth about $208,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its holdings in AutoZone by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 524 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,651,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone during the third quarter worth approximately $66,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 1.5% in the third quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $841,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 4,503.8% in the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,913,000 after buying an additional 7,116 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Roth Capital upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,025.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,341.00 to $3,501.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,300.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,202.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total value of $922,560.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other AutoZone news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total transaction of $40,392,950.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at $43,055,777.55. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660 over the last 90 days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AZO opened at $3,173.40 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $3,111.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,019.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.63 billion, a PE ratio of 21.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,510.00 and a one year high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $46.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.