Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Purchases 164 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 2.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,969 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. AutoZone accounts for approximately 1.1% of Chesley Taft & Associates LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC's holdings in AutoZone were worth $22,758,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the period. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 750.0% in the fourth quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 17 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AZO. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,192.00 to $4,850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AutoZone from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company set a $4,200.00 target price on shares of AutoZone and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $4,000.00 target price (up previously from $3,750.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $4,072.24.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 136 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,550.08, for a total transaction of $482,810.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,430,682.24. This represents a 25.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of the 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 value of $10,288,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,924 shares in the company, valued at $10,555,640. The trade was a 49.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,398 shares of company stock worth $45,676,997 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

AutoZone Trading Down 0.2%

AZO stock traded down $6.32 during trading on Friday, hitting $3,718.93. The company had a trading volume of 98,851 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,826. The business has a 50-day moving average of $3,693.79 and a 200-day moving average of $3,493.06. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,765.82 and a one year high of $3,916.81. The stock has a market cap of $62.41 billion, a PE ratio of 24.85, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.40.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 27th. The company reported $35.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $37.07 by ($1.71). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The company had revenue of $4.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $36.69 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

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.