Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 114 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Kentucky Retirement Systems lowered its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,190 shares of the company’s stock after selling 114 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in AutoZone were worth $3,749,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 354,692.5% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 993,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,293,100,000 after acquiring an additional 993,139 shares during the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone by 137.6% in the second 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 during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the second quarter worth $424,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 564.2% during the first quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 152,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,338,000 after purchasing an additional 129,193 shares during the period. Finally, Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 2,714.8% in the second quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 120,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,267,000 after purchasing an additional 115,924 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZO has been the subject of several research reports. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,025.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Monday, September 30th. UBS Group boosted 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. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a report on Monday, October 14th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,200.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,202.71.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO stock opened at $3,107.53 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,510.00 and a fifty-two week high of $3,256.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $3,112.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3,024.56.

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

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.