CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp Buys 125 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Key Points

• CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp increased its stake in AutoZone by 3.3%, acquiring 125 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 3,940 shares valued at approximately $14.6 million.
• AutoZone reported earnings per share of $48.71 for the latest quarter, missing estimates by $1.81, while revenue was slightly below expectations at $6.24 billion.
• Various institutional investors have made significant investments in AutoZone, with Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increasing its position by 7,358.8% during the second quarter.

CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,940 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 125 shares during the quarter. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp's holdings in AutoZone were worth $14,625,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 7,358.8% during the second quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 243,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $902,929,000 after purchasing an additional 239,970 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the first quarter valued at approximately $442,530,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in AutoZone by 7.5% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 936,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,570,296,000 after buying an additional 65,368 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its holdings in AutoZone by 349.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 74,400 shares of the company's stock valued at $276,190,000 after buying an additional 57,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone by 30.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 106,888 shares of the company's stock worth $407,540,000 after acquiring an additional 24,933 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO stock opened at $4,244.71 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $71.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.40. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $4,109.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3,832.21. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,980.10 and a one year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 23rd. The company reported $48.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $50.52 by ($1.81). The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.26 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 13.19% and a negative return on equity of 60.49%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $51.58 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $4,700.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,900.00 to $4,775.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,740.00 to $4,050.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $4,900.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,200.00 to $4,850.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $4,538.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,875.90, for a total value of $11,627,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,925 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,337,007.50. The trade was a 50.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 2,860 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,175.70, for a total transaction of $11,942,502.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,244 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,194,570.80. The trade was a 69.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

AutoZone 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.

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