Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 384 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9 shares during the period. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in AutoZone by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,717,000 after buying an additional 6,898 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in AutoZone by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 34,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,455,000 after buying an additional 7,922 shares during the last quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,460,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Pensionfund Sabic lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 51.3% in the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 590 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,889,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at $228,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,654.02 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $3,531.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,303.38. The company has a market capitalization of $61.32 billion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,728.97 and a 1-year high of $3,916.81.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $29.11 by ($0.82). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The company had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 directly owns 50 shares in the company, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,800.01, for a total value of $7,600,020.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $619,401.63. This represents a 92.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 6,721 shares of company stock valued at $24,609,331 in the last quarter. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,490.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Capital set a $3,763.00 price target on AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Argus cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,724.00.

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.