Legal & General Group Plc Acquires 4,371 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc increased its AutoZone stake by 4.1% in Q3, buying 4,371 shares to hold 112,048 shares valued at $480.7 million, equal to about 0.67% of the company.
• AutoZone beat EPS estimates narrowly ($27.63 vs. $27.59) but missed revenue expectations ($4.27B vs. $4.31B), with quarterly revenue up 8.2% year‑over‑year.
• Insider activity is mixed — two directors added to their holdings while insiders sold about 9,447 shares (~$34.18M) in the last 90 days — and institutional ownership is 92.74%; analysts' consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $4,318.38.

Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 112,048 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,371 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.67% of AutoZone worth $480,713,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC boosted its position in AutoZone by 600.0% during the 3rd quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 7 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in AutoZone in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC grew its stake in AutoZone by 42.9% in the second quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 10 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company's stock.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.4%

AZO opened at $3,724.43 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $61.71 billion, a PE ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $3,210.72 and a 12 month high of $4,388.11. The company has a 50 day moving average of $3,633.67 and a 200 day moving average of $3,811.04.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.The business had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $28.29 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Brian Hannasch bought 147 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $3,393.09 per share, for a total transaction of $498,784.23. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 962 shares in the company, valued at $3,264,152.58. This trade represents a 18.04% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. George purchased 145 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $3,398.13 per share, for a total transaction of $492,728.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,341.58. This represents a 34.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 9,447 shares of company stock valued at $34,179,923 over the last ninety days. 2.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZO has been the subject of several research reports. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,400.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Mizuho upped their price target on AutoZone from $3,550.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $4,400.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Argus upgraded AutoZone from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $4,325.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $4,318.38.

AutoZone Company Profile

AutoZone, Inc NYSE: AZO is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do‑it‑yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.

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