Nomura Holdings Inc. Invests $1.78 Million in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 556 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,780,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 482,040.2% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company's stock worth $1,343,117,000 after purchasing an additional 419,375 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the 4th quarter valued at $834,556,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth $471,629,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 6,083.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 90,656 shares of the company's stock valued at $290,281,000 after acquiring an additional 89,190 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 82.6% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $545,033,000 after acquiring an additional 77,015 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO traded down $9.22 on Wednesday, hitting $3,870.93. 114,289 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 129,723. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,728.97 and a one year high of $3,926.00. The company has a market capitalization of $64.96 billion, a PE ratio of 25.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,671.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,432.84.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $29.11 by ($0.82). The business had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. On average, equities analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AZO. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of AutoZone from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $3,044.00 to $3,811.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $3,700.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,875.00 to $4,025.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of 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 issued a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $3,887.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total transaction of $5,670,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 417 shares in the company, valued at $1,501,200. The trade was a 79.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total transaction of $568,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares of the company's stock, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19% 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. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.