Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $163.21 Million Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,974 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,009 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.30% of AutoZone worth $163,214,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 138 shares of the company's stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Capital Square LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone by 56.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 116 shares of the company's stock valued at $387,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,608 shares of the company's stock worth $37,169,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Research Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Research Inc. now owns 632 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,024,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 127.2% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 20,447 shares of the company's stock worth $65,471,000 after purchasing an additional 11,447 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,875.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,490.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $3,724.00.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Domingo Hurtado sold 4,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,660.00, for a total transaction of $17,568,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 159 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $581,940. This represents a 96.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,610.00, for a total transaction of $10,288,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,555,640. This trade represents a 49.36 % 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 in the last quarter. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE AZO traded up $59.57 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $3,764.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 159,767 shares, compared to its average volume of 131,949. 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 cap of $63.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $3,609.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,370.89.

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

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.