Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. Grows Stock Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 5.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,261 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 61 shares during the quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $4,038,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 482,040.2% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,343,117,000 after buying an additional 419,375 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at $471,629,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in AutoZone by 186.8% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,544,000 after acquiring an additional 60,483 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth $189,483,000. Finally, Canoe Financial LP lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 542.8% during the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 62,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,032,000 after purchasing an additional 52,753 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,607.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.10, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,728.97 and a 52 week high of $3,615.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $3,358.39 and a 200 day moving average of $3,226.46.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued 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). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. As a group, analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on AZO shares. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,850.00 to $4,000.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,775.00 to $3,830.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,646.62.

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.