AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, twenty-three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $4,538.2083.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AZO. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,155.00 to $4,811.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,250.00 to $4,500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,504.00 to $4,499.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $4,700.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,875.90, for a total value of $11,627,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,925 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,337,007.50. This represents a 50.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 2,860 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4,175.70, for a total transaction of $11,942,502.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,244 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,194,570.80. The trade was a 69.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoZone

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AZO. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,961 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,088,000 after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 18.5% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $416,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the first quarter worth about $221,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 14.7% during the first quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 305 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,163,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:AZO opened at $4,219.73 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $4,126.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,840.81. The company has a market cap of $70.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.40. AutoZone has a 52 week low of $2,980.10 and a 52 week high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 23rd. The company reported $48.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $50.52 by ($1.81). The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.26 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 60.49% and a net margin of 13.19%.AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $51.58 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that AutoZone will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

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.