Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $6.37 Million Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 57.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,990 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 728 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $6,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of AZO. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter worth approximately $47,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter worth approximately $47,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 25.0% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,315.50 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $55.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $3,247.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3,159.59. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,672.31 and a twelve month high of $3,437.63.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $33.69 by ($1.17). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $32.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on AZO shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Argus upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,560.00 to $3,678.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $3,700.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has a consensus 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.