AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Purchased by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 43,224 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,822 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.26% of AutoZone worth $137,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 61 shares of the company's stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $487,000 after buying an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 132 shares of the company's stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in AutoZone by 42.9% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in AutoZone by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 371 shares of the company's stock worth $1,188,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:AZO traded up $23.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $3,756.09. The company had a trading volume of 77,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 131,931. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,728.97 and a 1 year high of $3,916.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.09, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,623.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,379.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.98 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total transaction of $568,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares in the company, valued at $177,500. This trade represents a 76.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,800.01, for a total transaction of $7,600,020.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 163 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $619,401.63. The trade was a 92.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 11,521 shares of company stock worth $42,177,331. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AZO. Roth Capital set a $3,763.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,775.00 to $3,830.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on AutoZone from $3,753.00 to $3,841.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $3,814.91.

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.