AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 22.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,080 shares of the company’s stock after selling 889 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $8,716,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the second quarter worth $29,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Heritage Family Offices LLP bought a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Tacita Capital Inc bought a new stake in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC boosted its position in AutoZone by 150.0% during the 1st quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 10 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, CFO Jamere Jackson sold 6,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,319.71, for a total value of $22,905,999.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 496 shares in the company, valued at $1,646,576.16. This trade represents a 93.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,234.93 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $3,008.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,248.38. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,730.65 and a 12 month high of $3,996.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.06 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 22nd. The company reported $56.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $55.51. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.65% and a negative return on equity of 90.08%. The firm had revenue of $6.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $48.71 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 170.30 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,817.00 to $3,648.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. UBS Group set a $3,850.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,637.00 to $3,400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Roth Capital cut their target price on AutoZone from $4,023.00 to $3,850.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,674.36.

About AutoZone

AutoZone is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories, serving do-it-yourself customers as well as professional repair shops. Its products include new and remanufactured parts, maintenance supplies, and accessories for cars, sport utility vehicles, and light trucks. The company also offers services such as battery testing and tool-loan programs at many stores. Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company operates stores in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil.