AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Purchased by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 17.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 177 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 26 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $567,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in AutoZone by 50.0% during the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 15 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,268.78 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $3,187.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,114.26. The company has a market cap of $54.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,510.00 and a 1-year high of $3,416.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $33.69 by ($1.17). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $32.55 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 154.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total transaction of $40,392,950.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. This trade represents a 48.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on AZO shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Mizuho upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $3,634.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 21st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,400.32.

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.