AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Position Increased by Stifel Financial Corp

Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,475 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in AutoZone were worth $11,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Optivise Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone during the 4th quarter valued at about $223,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 9,014.3% in the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 638 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,045,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares in the last quarter. Natixis acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at $285,000. Norinchukin Bank The raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 778 shares of the company's stock worth $2,491,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ossiam lifted its position in shares of AutoZone by 536.8% during the 4th quarter. Ossiam now owns 2,719 shares of the company's stock worth $8,706,000 after buying an additional 2,292 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on AZO shares. Barclays lifted their target price on AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $3,700.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,490.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Three research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $3,814.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of AutoZone 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total transaction of $568,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares of the company's stock, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,521 shares of company stock valued at $42,177,331 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.3 %

AZO traded up $9.52 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $3,742.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 22,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 131,555. The firm has a market cap of $62.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,728.97 and a 52-week high of $3,916.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $3,616.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3,374.84.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $29.11 by ($0.82). The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. On average, equities analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current 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.