Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Sells 209 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV trimmed its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 39.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 315 shares of the company’s stock after selling 209 shares during the quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,009,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at about $61,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 4 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on AZO shares. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,560.00 to $3,678.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of 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, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,461.94 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $3,315.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,197.63. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,680.96 and a 1 year high of $3,484.42. The company has a market capitalization of $58.10 billion, a PE ratio of 23.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.70.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly 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 negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.30 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $32.55 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current 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.