Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Lowers Stock Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 25.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,995 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,389 shares during the quarter. AutoZone accounts for approximately 0.9% of Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $32,004,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 421,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,326,545,000 after acquiring an additional 7,365 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in AutoZone by 482,040.2% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,343,117,000 after purchasing an additional 419,375 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in AutoZone by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $683,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,771 shares in the last quarter. Marshfield Associates grew its stake in AutoZone by 0.5% in the third quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 169,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $534,204,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 163,089 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,211,000 after purchasing an additional 42,776 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.6 %

AutoZone stock opened at $3,591.60 on Thursday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,728.97 and a 52 week high of $3,704.43. The firm has a market cap of $60.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $3,420.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,252.77.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. Equities analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. 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 research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,651.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was 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 owns 50 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $177,500. This represents a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $1,501,200. This represents a 79.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,871 shares of company stock worth $6,720,811. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.