AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Purchased by Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc.

Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 16.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,035 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 874 shares during the period. AutoZone makes up approximately 1.5% of Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in AutoZone were worth $23,010,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company's stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,030,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 129 shares of the company's stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,828 shares of the company's stock worth $5,853,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 811 shares of the company's stock worth $2,596,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of AutoZone stock traded up $17.13 during trading on Thursday, hitting $3,675.72. 156,625 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 128,827. The firm has a market cap of $61.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.40. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,792.14 and a 52-week high of $3,916.81. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $3,689.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,499.76.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 27th. The company reported $35.36 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $4.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $36.69 EPS. AutoZone's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 2,924 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,555,640. The trade was a 49.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,800.01, for a total value of $7,600,020.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 163 shares of the company's stock, valued at $619,401.63. This trade represents a 92.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 39,762 shares of company stock worth $147,189,762 over the last quarter. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AZO shares. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,850.00 to $4,100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Oppenheimer raised AutoZone from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $4,600.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $3,700.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Argus lowered AutoZone from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $4,072.24.

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.