AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Sold by Cynosure Group LLC

Cynosure Group LLC decreased its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 100 shares of the company’s stock after selling 28 shares during the period. Cynosure Group LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in AutoZone by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,811.59 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $3,515.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,294.29. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,728.97 and a 1 year high of $3,842.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was 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 directly owns 50 shares in the company, valued at approximately $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % 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 the SEC website. Also, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 2,000 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,800.01, for a total transaction of $7,600,020.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $619,401.63. This trade represents a 92.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,721 shares of company stock valued at $24,609,331 over the last quarter. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on AZO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,775.00 to $3,830.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,875.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. DA Davidson upgraded AutoZone from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $3,500.00 to $4,192.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,724.00.

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.