AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Acquired by Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC

Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,814 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. AutoZone comprises approximately 2.8% of Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $9,543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 4,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,315,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 7.8% during the third quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 8,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,145,000 after buying an additional 613 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 132.8% during the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Numerai GP LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 1,199.3% in the third quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 1,754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,525,000 after buying an additional 1,619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter worth about $678,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of AZO opened at $3,385.74 on Thursday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $3,210.72 and a 12-month high of $4,388.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $3,648.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,756.10.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The company had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $28.29 earnings per share. AutoZone’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on AZO shares. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Roth Mkm cut their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $4,400.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research lowered AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on AutoZone from $4,811.00 to $4,268.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $4,312.13.

Insider Activity

In other AutoZone news, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 97 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,341.99, for a total transaction of $324,173.03. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,910,852.36. This trade represents a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total value of $823,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,887 shares in the company, valued at $16,102,665. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,447 shares of company stock valued at $34,179,923. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc (NYSE: AZO) is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do‑it‑yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.