Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Invests $6.37 Million in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,990 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,373,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the third quarter valued at about $781,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in AutoZone by 18.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company's stock worth $141,717,000 after purchasing an additional 6,898 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in AutoZone by 1.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,907 shares of the company's stock worth $69,008,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 177 shares of the company's stock valued at $567,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic raised its holdings in AutoZone by 51.3% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 590 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,889,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $3,746.63. The stock had a trading volume of 86,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 131,654. The company has a market cap of $62.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.44. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,728.97 and a 1 year high of $3,916.81. The business's 50 day moving average price is $3,642.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,391.79.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for 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%. Analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on AZO. Roth Capital set a $3,763.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,490.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $3,700.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $3,821.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the company'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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $177,500. This represents a 76.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,521 shares of company stock valued at $42,177,331. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.