Vise Technologies Inc. Purchases 98 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Vise Technologies Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 71.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 235 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 98 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in AutoZone were worth $752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AZO. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 482,040.2% in the fourth 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 period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at $834,556,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at $471,629,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 89,190 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 77,015 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company's stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE:AZO traded up $33.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $3,723.09. The stock had a trading volume of 51,055 shares, compared to its average volume of 129,324. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,697.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,462.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,728.97 and a one year high of $3,916.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.44.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm had revenue of $4.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $36.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,850.00 to $4,100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Raymond James reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $3,811.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $4,100.00 price target (up previously from $3,850.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $4,054.52.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,610.00, for a total transaction of $10,288,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,924 shares in the company, valued at $10,555,640. The trade was a 49.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total value of $5,670,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,501,200. This represents a 79.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,521 shares of company stock worth $42,177,331 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.