New South Capital Management Inc. Has $169.14 Million Stock Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

New South Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,823 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,168 shares during the quarter. AutoZone makes up 7.1% of New South Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. New South Capital Management Inc. owned 0.31% of AutoZone worth $169,139,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at about $61,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 25.0% in the 3rd 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 bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $66,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on AZO. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,646.62.

AutoZone Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,569.49 on Thursday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,728.97 and a 12-month high of $3,570.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.85, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $3,351.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3,223.79.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). The business had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.