250 Shares in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Acquired by Mufg Securities Americas Inc.

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. purchased a new stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $800,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted 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 last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 324,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,039,421,000 after purchasing an additional 17,518 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at $834,556,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $683,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,771 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 14.6% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 204,822 shares of the company's stock valued at $655,840,000 after purchasing an additional 26,036 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares of the company's stock, valued at $177,500. This represents a 76.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 136 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.08, for a total transaction of $482,810.88. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,430,682.24. This trade represents a 25.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 11,521 shares of company stock valued at $42,177,331. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE AZO traded up $21.61 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $3,779.98. 161,315 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 130,310. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,728.97 and a 52-week high of $3,916.81. The company has a market capitalization of $63.44 billion, a PE ratio of 25.25, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.44. The firm's 50-day moving average is $3,658.37 and its 200-day moving average is $3,420.58.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AZO. Raymond James reiterated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $3,700.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $3,821.91.

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.