Smart Money Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Smart Money Group LLC boosted its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 235 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the quarter. Smart Money Group LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $752,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 354,692.5% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 993,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,293,100,000 after purchasing an additional 993,139 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in AutoZone by 186.8% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,544,000 after buying an additional 60,483 shares during the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 542.8% in the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 62,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,032,000 after acquiring an additional 52,753 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 319.0% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 36,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,375,000 after acquiring an additional 27,580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth $85,127,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,221.06 on Monday. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,658.18 and a twelve month high of $3,416.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $3,222.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,134.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $33.69 by ($1.17). The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $32.55 EPS. Analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 153.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,501.00 to $3,753.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,025.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,038.00 to $3,125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Company 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.