Bailard Inc. Sells 15 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Bailard Inc. decreased its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,182 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15 shares during the period. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $3,055,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 419 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth about $267,000. Bfsg LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter valued at about $155,000. Cumberland Partners Ltd boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Cumberland Partners Ltd now owns 375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $970,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth $271,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on AZO shares. Barclays upped their price target on AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. DA Davidson increased their target price on AutoZone from $2,770.00 to $3,025.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $2,900.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Five 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 stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,086.61.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total value of $13,247,439.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 900 shares in the company, valued at $2,845,512. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $2,845,512. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,992,208.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,990 shares of company stock valued at $50,335,193 in the last ninety days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of AZO stock traded down $48.80 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $2,939.71. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 151,313 shares, compared to its average volume of 154,165. The stock has a market cap of $50.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,277.88 and a twelve month high of $3,256.37. The business has a fifty day moving average of $3,020.17 and a 200-day moving average of $2,768.74.

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

About AutoZone

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.