B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Buys 307 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,558 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG owned about 0.06% of AutoZone worth $30,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in AutoZone by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth about $61,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 4 shares during the period. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth about $67,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,769.72 on Monday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,728.97 and a 12 month high of $3,838.00. The company has a market capitalization of $63.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $3,483.80 and its 200 day moving average is $3,280.69.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $29.11 by ($0.82). The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total value of $568,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares in the company, valued at $177,500. This trade represents a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,610.00, for a total value of $10,288,500.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,555,640. The trade was a 49.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 6,721 shares of company stock worth $24,609,331. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AZO shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. DA Davidson raised AutoZone from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $3,500.00 to $4,192.00 in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. TD Cowen raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,683.36.

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.