Smart Money Group LLC Buys 35 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Smart Money Group LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 41.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Smart Money Group LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rock Creek Group LP bought a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Buck Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at $64,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at $48,992,208.54. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other AutoZone news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total transaction of $13,247,439.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 900 shares in the company, valued at $2,845,512. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the 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 transaction, the chairman now owns 15,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,992,208.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,990 shares of company stock worth $50,335,193 over the last three months. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $2,900.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 target price on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Wedbush boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $2,950.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,000.00 to $3,200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,086.61.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.5 %

AZO stock traded up $15.28 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $2,962.09. 88,298 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 152,782. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,277.88 and a 52-week high of $3,256.37. The stock has a market cap of $51.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $3,043.94 and its 200 day moving average is $2,782.53.

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

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.