QV Investors Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

QV Investors Inc. lessened its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 41.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,925 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,110 shares during the quarter. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $9,366,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Threadgill Financial LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Threadgill Financial LLC now owns 5,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,812,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 3,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,739,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. Fortem Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 377 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,207,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Kings Path Partners LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at $1,073,000. Finally, Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,460,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AZO shares. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,200.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Redburn Atlantic raised AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $3,634.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZO traded up $8.20 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $3,259.52. The company had a trading volume of 42,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 108,555. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,575.00 and a twelve month high of $3,416.71. The stock has a market cap of $54.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $3,212.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3,125.20.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $32.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 154.29 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.