AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System lowered its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 6.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,475 shares of the company’s stock after selling 941 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.09% of AutoZone worth $46,349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AZO. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,933,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in AutoZone by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,496,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its position in AutoZone by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,566,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $246,000. Finally, M3 Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $255,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AZO stock opened at $3,461.94 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,680.96 and a 1 year high of $3,484.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $3,312.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,194.34. The firm has a market cap of $58.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.13, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.70.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted 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). 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $32.55 EPS. AutoZone’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZO. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,450.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on AutoZone in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $3,700.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,501.00 to $3,753.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,560.00 to $3,678.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,429.84.

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.