USS Investment Management Ltd Cuts Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

USS Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,216 shares of the company's stock after selling 656 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in AutoZone were worth $10,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $4,200.00 price target on shares of AutoZone and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Guggenheim increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen raised AutoZone from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. 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. Finally, Oppenheimer raised AutoZone from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $4,600.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $3,966.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total value of $5,670,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 417 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,501,200. The trade was a 79.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total value of $568,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares of the company's stock, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,521 shares of company stock worth $42,177,331 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AutoZone Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of NYSE:AZO traded down $146.60 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $3,679.86. The stock had a trading volume of 137,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,791. The company has a market capitalization of $61.76 billion, a PE ratio of 24.52, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.44. The firm's fifty day moving average is $3,692.06 and its 200 day moving average is $3,455.58. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,728.97 and a 12 month high of $3,916.81.

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

AutoZone Company 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.