AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Sold by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its AutoZone stake by 48.1% in Q4, selling 35,666 shares and leaving it with 38,526 shares (about 0.23% of the company) valued at roughly $130.66 million.
• AutoZone VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares on January 23 for about $21.87 million, a 69.23% reduction in his position; company insiders now own roughly 2.6% of the stock.
• AutoZone reported Q results with EPS $27.63 (beat by $0.04) but revenue of $4.27B missed estimates, with revenue up 8.2% YoY; the stock trades near $3,424 with a $56.4B market cap and an average analyst target of about $4,312 (rating: Moderate Buy).

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 48.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,526 shares of the company's stock after selling 35,666 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned approximately 0.23% of AutoZone worth $130,661,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the company's stock valued at $536,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the period. Obermeyer Wealth Partners lifted its stake in AutoZone by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Obermeyer Wealth Partners now owns 67 shares of the company's stock valued at $287,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in AutoZone by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 58 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp lifted its stake in AutoZone by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 86 shares of the company's stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camden National Bank lifted its stake in AutoZone by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 86 shares of the company's stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Price Performance

AZO opened at $3,424.40 on Monday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $3,588.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3,684.77. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3,210.72 and a 1-year high of $4,388.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.41.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The business had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $28.29 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total value of $21,867,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,627 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,719,900. This trade represents a 69.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AZO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Argus raised shares of AutoZone from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $4,325.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 9th. DA Davidson set a $4,300.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $4,300.00 price target (up from $4,150.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of AutoZone from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, UBS Group set a $4,800.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $4,312.13.

AutoZone Company Profile

AutoZone, Inc NYSE: AZO is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do‑it‑yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.

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