Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Has $1.21 Million Stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 205.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 468 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rock Creek Group LP bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $43,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $51,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Buck Wealth Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth $64,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $2,967.70 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.40 billion, a PE ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $3,055.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $2,791.59. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,277.88 and a 12 month high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported $28.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $26.08 by $2.81. The firm had revenue of $3.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 56.06% and a net margin of 14.70%. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $24.64 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,992,208.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 6,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,190.22, for a total transaction of $21,374,474.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 15,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,992,208.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,997.76, for a total value of $8,993,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,921 shares in the company, valued at $8,756,456.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,990 shares of company stock worth $50,335,193 in the last ninety days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AZO shares. StockNews.com downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,363.00 to $3,523.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wedbush increased their price objective on AutoZone from $2,950.00 to $3,400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,346.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,086.61.

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.