Quadrature Capital Ltd Takes $19.07 Million Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 7,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,070,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 232,194.6% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 731,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,891,963,000 after acquiring an additional 731,413 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in AutoZone by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 441,566 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,121,572,000 after acquiring an additional 5,650 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in AutoZone by 111.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 335,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $851,379,000 after purchasing an additional 176,623 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth about $678,350,000. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in AutoZone by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 259,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $660,309,000 after buying an additional 11,104 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AZO shares. UBS Group lowered their price target on AutoZone from $3,465.00 to $3,340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Barclays decreased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,024.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. StockNews.com lowered AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,038.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,104.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 15,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,992,208.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other AutoZone news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total value of $21,374,474.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at $48,992,208.54. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Jenna M. Bedsole purchased 36 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $2,757.10 per share, with a total value of $99,255.60. Following the purchase, the vice president now directly owns 36 shares in the company, valued at approximately $99,255.60. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,990 shares of company stock worth $41,341,913. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Up 3.6 %

AZO stock opened at $2,938.83 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $2,895.05 and a 200-day moving average of $2,846.15. The firm has a market cap of $50.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,375.35 and a 12-month high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The company reported $36.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $35.67 by $1.02. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.29 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 54.58% and a net margin of 14.60%. The business’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $34.12 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.57 earnings per share for the current year.

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.