DSG Capital Advisors LLC Acquires New Shares in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

DSG Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,477 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,931,000. AutoZone comprises about 1.4% of DSG Capital Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AZO. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in AutoZone by 482,040.2% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,343,117,000 after purchasing an additional 419,375 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in AutoZone by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 324,616 shares of the company's stock worth $1,039,421,000 after acquiring an additional 17,518 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at $834,556,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,575 shares of the company's stock worth $683,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,771 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 204,822 shares of the company's stock worth $655,840,000 after purchasing an additional 26,036 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Price Performance

AutoZone stock traded up $46.58 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $3,736.21. 190,971 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 129,819. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,728.97 and a 1 year high of $3,916.81. The firm has a market cap of $62.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $3,698.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3,471.00.

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

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, VP Domingo Hurtado sold 4,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,660.00, for a total value of $17,568,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 159 shares of the company's stock, valued at $581,940. The trade was a 96.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 136 shares of AutoZone 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 value of $482,810.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,430,682.24. The trade was a 25.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 11,521 shares of company stock valued at $42,177,331. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on AZO. Oppenheimer upgraded AutoZone from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $4,600.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AutoZone from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Bank of America upgraded 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 report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $3,700.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $4,200.00 price objective on AutoZone and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $4,054.52.

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.