27,024 Shares in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Acquired by Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 27,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $85,127,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 354,692.5% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 993,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,293,100,000 after acquiring an additional 993,139 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its position in AutoZone by 137.6% during the 2nd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 310,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,998,000 after purchasing an additional 179,543 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at $424,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. raised its stake in AutoZone by 2,714.8% during the 2nd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 120,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,267,000 after purchasing an additional 115,924 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,544,000 after purchasing an additional 60,483 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,055,777.55. This represents a 48.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660 over the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,190.07 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.92 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,510.00 and a 1 year high of $3,256.37. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $3,128.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,043.20.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued 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 business had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $46.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AZO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $3,634.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,025.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Monday, September 30th. BNP Paribas raised shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,450.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,216.44.

AutoZone Company 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.