LSV Asset Management Lowers Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

LSV Asset Management reduced its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 26.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,343 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,713 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management owned approximately 0.08% of AutoZone worth $34,500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth $215,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 205.9% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 468 shares of the company's stock worth $1,210,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Smart Money Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. Smart Money Group LLC now owns 119 shares of the company's stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 49.0% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. Summit Asset Management LLC now owns 2,619 shares of the company's stock worth $6,772,000 after buying an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total value of $8,993,280.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,756,456.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total value of $8,993,280.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,756,456.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at $48,992,208.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,990 shares of company stock worth $50,335,193. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $3,450.00 price objective for the company. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $2,770.00 to $3,025.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $2,900.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $3,086.61.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE AZO traded up $15.50 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $2,967.70. 116,362 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 151,810. The company has a market cap of $51.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.90, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3,055.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $2,791.59. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,277.88 and a 12 month high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $26.08 by $2.81. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.70% and a negative return on equity of 56.06%. The business had revenue of $3.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $24.64 EPS. AutoZone's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.