Nebula Research & Development LLC Grows Stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Nebula Research & Development LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 511.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 618 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC's holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,979,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone by 25.0% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the firm'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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Domingo Hurtado sold 4,800 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,660.00, for a total value of $17,568,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $581,940. This trade represents a 96.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,521 shares of company stock worth $42,177,331 over the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO traded down $23.16 on Thursday, hitting $3,739.44. 27,067 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 131,547. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,728.97 and a one year high of $3,916.81. The company has a market capitalization of $62.76 billion, a PE ratio of 24.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,609.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,370.89.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.98 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AZO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of AutoZone from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $3,044.00 to $3,811.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. StockNews.com raised AutoZone from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $3,700.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $3,724.00.

AutoZone Company 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.