Private Capital Advisors Inc. Takes Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Private Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 77 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $247,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 5.1% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,699,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in AutoZone by 67.0% during the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 643 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,906,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 7.3% in the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 10.0% in the second quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 1,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,803,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 1.4% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 41,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,932,000 after buying an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on AZO. Barclays raised their price objective on AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $3,700.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Argus lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,560.00 to $3,678.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,371.06 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,672.31 and a 1 year high of $3,416.71. The company has a market cap of $56.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $3,229.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,144.01.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $32.55 EPS. AutoZone’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 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.