AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Stock Holdings Increased by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,854 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in AutoZone were worth $14,694,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Colonial Trust Co SC increased its position in AutoZone by 24.5% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 61 shares of the company's stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Comerica Bank boosted its position in AutoZone by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 4,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,647,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 82.6% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $545,033,000 after buying an additional 77,015 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in AutoZone by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 66,016 shares of the company's stock valued at $211,383,000 after acquiring an additional 7,586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in AutoZone by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 73,044 shares of the company's stock valued at $233,718,000 after buying an additional 21,266 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AZO shares. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,850.00 to $4,100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Bank of America upgraded shares of AutoZone from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $3,900.00 to $4,800.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,830.00 to $4,350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Roth Mkm upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $4,054.52.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 value of $10,288,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,555,640. This trade represents a 49.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jamere Jackson sold 2,612 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,728.05, for a total transaction of $9,737,666.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 427 shares in the company, valued at $1,591,877.35. This trade represents a 85.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,973 shares of company stock worth $51,346,997. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AZO traded up $5.98 on Thursday, hitting $3,723.02. 28,569 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 130,084. The business's fifty day moving average is $3,697.68 and its 200 day moving average is $3,479.05. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,753.61 and a fifty-two week high of $3,916.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.40.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The business had revenue of $4.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $36.69 EPS. AutoZone's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal 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.