Blue Trust Inc. Acquires 69 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 82.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 153 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $482,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $66,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on AZO. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Capital raised AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,354.35 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,672.31 and a 52-week high of $3,437.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $3,258.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $3,162.04.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS 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%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $32.55 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal 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.