Fulton Bank N.A. Lowers Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Fulton Bank N.A. lessened its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 215 shares of the company’s stock after selling 35 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $688,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in AutoZone by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,717,000 after purchasing an additional 6,898 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,544,000 after acquiring an additional 60,483 shares in the last quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in AutoZone by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,460,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Verde Capital Management bought a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,137,000. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 592.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,012,000 after purchasing an additional 7,879 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,301.99 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $3,207.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,120.68. The firm has a market cap of $55.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,510.00 and a 52 week high of $3,416.71.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZO has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $3,634.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,429.84.

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.