AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System reduced its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 901 shares of the company’s stock after selling 86 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $2,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Enhancing Capital LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at $224,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 22.7% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 5,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,375,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at $3,842,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in AutoZone by 49.9% in the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,164,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total value of $5,670,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,501,200. This trade represents a 79.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total transaction of $568,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,871 shares of company stock worth $6,720,811. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,569.96 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $3,426.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,254.98. 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 $59.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm raised 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. Argus downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. DA Davidson raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.