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

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $3,232.88.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,341.00 to $3,501.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Roth Capital upgraded shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $3,634.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE AZO opened at $3,190.07 on Friday. AutoZone has a 12-month low of $2,510.00 and a 12-month high of $3,256.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $3,128.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3,043.20. The company has a market capitalization of $53.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). The company had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. AutoZone’s revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $46.46 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that AutoZone will post 158.09 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,166.42. This represents a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,613,046.40. This represents a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoZone

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $706,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 98 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 32 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AutoZone

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.