Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. Sells 7 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. decreased its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 391 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7 shares during the quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Independence Bank of Kentucky bought a new position in AutoZone in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in AutoZone in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in AutoZone by 600.0% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 14 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp grew its stake in AutoZone by 166.7% in the third quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 16 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its stake in AutoZone by 54.5% in the first quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 17 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AZO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on AutoZone from $3,125.00 to $3,020.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 30th. UBS Group upgraded AutoZone from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $2,800.00 to $2,900.00 in a research note on Friday, June 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on AutoZone from $2,899.00 to $2,840.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 23rd. DA Davidson dropped their price target on AutoZone from $2,425.00 to $2,340.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 24th. Finally, 92 Resources reissued a “reiterates” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, June 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $2,714.42.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Albert Saltiel sold 2,245 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,500.00, for a total transaction of $5,612,500.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,337,500. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other AutoZone news, VP Albert Saltiel sold 2,245 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,500.00, for a total value of $5,612,500.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,337,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Charles Pleas III sold 4,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,546.55, for a total value of $10,695,510.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,425 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,721,933.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.59% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of AZO traded down $37.77 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $2,484.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 130,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 159,763. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,050.21 and a one year high of $2,750.00. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $2,505.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2,510.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.66.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 19th. The company reported $46.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $44.69 by $1.77. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 62.38% and a net margin of 14.45%. The company had revenue of $5.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $40.51 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 130.54 earnings per share for the current year.

About AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories. The company offers 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. Its products include A/C compressors, batteries and accessories, bearings, belts and hoses, calipers, chassis, clutches, CV axles, engines, fuel pumps, fuses, ignition and lighting products, mufflers, radiators, starters and alternators, thermostats, and water pumps, as well as tire repairs.