WINTON GROUP Ltd Invests $14.41 Million in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,414,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Newport Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Brian Hannasch purchased 165 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,987.00 per share, for a total transaction of $492,855.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,641,153. The trade was a 15.65% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. This represents a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,116.41 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $51.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $3,393.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,540.32. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,928.11 and a 52-week high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $36.22 by $1.85. The company had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.86 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.40% and a negative return on equity of 77.83%. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $35.36 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on AZO shares. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $4,300.00 target price (up from $4,150.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,000.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,040.87.

AutoZone Company Profile

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.