Simplicity Solutions LLC Has $1.14 Million Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Simplicity Solutions LLC decreased its stake in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 21.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 441 shares of the company’s stock after selling 117 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,140,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in AutoZone by 8.2% in the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 53 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in AutoZone by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 301 shares of the company’s stock worth $765,000 after buying an additional 4 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 2.9% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 142 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in AutoZone by 2.0% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $513,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares during the period. Finally, Plancorp LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 3.0% during the third quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE AZO opened at $2,903.51 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $50.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,277.88 and a 52-week high of $3,256.37. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $2,990.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2,748.72.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $26.08 by $2.81. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.70% and a negative return on equity of 56.06%. 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 firm earned $24.64 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,685.00, for a total transaction of $2,685,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 521 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,398,885. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,200.00, for a total value of $6,720,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,912,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,685.00, for a total value of $2,685,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 521 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,398,885. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 18,890 shares of company stock worth $58,216,693 over the last ninety days. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on AZO. Barclays increased their target price on AutoZone from $2,779.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective 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. TheStreet lowered shares of AutoZone from a “c” rating to a “d+” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on AutoZone from $2,900.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,089.61.

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.