Osterweis Capital Management Inc. Has $37.17 Million Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,608 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. AutoZone comprises about 1.7% of Osterweis Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. owned 0.07% of AutoZone worth $37,169,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of AZO. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 482,040.2% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,343,117,000 after acquiring an additional 419,375 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth approximately $834,556,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in AutoZone by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $683,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,771 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in AutoZone by 82.6% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,033,000 after purchasing an additional 77,015 shares during the period. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 163,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,211,000 after buying an additional 42,776 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

AutoZone Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,574.54 on Thursday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,728.97 and a 12 month high of $3,916.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.88, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,567.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,333.97.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Equities analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on AZO shares. Mizuho boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,875.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $3,700.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,753.00 to $3,841.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Argus cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.