AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Acquired by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,082 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 0.07% of AutoZone worth $34,909,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in AZO. Peak Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the second quarter worth $2,816,000. Verde Capital Management acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,137,000. Swedbank AB increased its stake in AutoZone by 5.6% during the second quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 16,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,979,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the period. BDF Gestion acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the second quarter worth about $3,044,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 7.3% in the first quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 9,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,566,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,038.00 to $3,125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $3,634.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group lifted their target price on AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Guggenheim upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,025.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Monday, September 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,202.71.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE AZO opened at $3,107.53 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,510.00 and a 12 month high of $3,256.37. The company has a market capitalization of $52.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $3,112.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,024.56.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $53.31 by ($5.20). The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $46.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. The trade was a 48.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. This trade represents a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.