United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Boosts Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund raised its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 24.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,859 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,564 shares during the period. AutoZone comprises about 1.6% of United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $41,175,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AZO. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 421,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,326,545,000 after purchasing an additional 7,365 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 482,040.2% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,343,117,000 after acquiring an additional 419,375 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $683,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,771 shares in the last quarter. Marshfield Associates raised its holdings in AutoZone by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 169,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $534,204,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares during the period. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its position in AutoZone by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 163,089 shares of the company’s stock worth $522,211,000 after purchasing an additional 42,776 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total value of $568,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares in the company, valued at approximately $177,500. This represents a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,610.00, for a total value of $10,288,500.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,555,640. The trade was a 49.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,721 shares of company stock worth $17,009,311. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AZO. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,700.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,683.36.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE AZO opened at $3,675.49 on Wednesday. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,728.97 and a one year high of $3,704.43. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,450.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,267.24. The firm has a market cap of $61.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.56, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. Equities analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 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.