AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,237 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in AutoZone were worth $3,897,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in AutoZone by 46.8% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 505 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,592,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 456.0% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,537,000 after buying an additional 1,181 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LP purchased a new position in AutoZone in the 1st quarter worth approximately $826,000. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,596,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,099.38 on Monday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,510.00 and a 12-month high of $3,256.37. The company has a market cap of $52.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $3,111.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,029.75.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $46.46 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on AZO. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $3,200.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Roth Capital raised shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup dropped their target price on AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. UBS Group increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,202.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. This trade represents a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This represents a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.