Lafayette Investments Inc. Has $8.44 Million Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Lafayette Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,263 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the quarter. AutoZone accounts for approximately 2.1% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $8,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. RB Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 1st quarter worth about $274,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 1st quarter worth about $57,000. Roundview Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 426 shares of the company’s stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 31.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 237 shares of the company’s stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 12,966 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,331,000 after purchasing an additional 2,545 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In related news, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,200.00, for a total value of $6,720,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,912,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other AutoZone news, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,200.00, for a total transaction of $6,720,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,912,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 1,900 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,735.00, for a total transaction of $5,196,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 521 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,424,935. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 17,890 shares of company stock valued at $55,531,693. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO traded up $34.91 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $2,973.17. 131,789 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 155,947. The company has a market cap of $51.50 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,277.88 and a 52 week high of $3,256.37. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $2,998.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2,754.16.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $26.08 by $2.81. The company had revenue of $3.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.32 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.70% and a negative return on equity of 56.06%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $24.64 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AZO. Barclays upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $2,950.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,000.00 to $3,200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,363.00 to $3,523.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,346.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,086.61.

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.