Oak Thistle LLC Sells 694 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Oak Thistle LLC lessened its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 86.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 109 shares of the company’s stock after selling 694 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $344,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in AutoZone by 232,194.6% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 731,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,891,963,000 after purchasing an additional 731,413 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter valued at about $678,350,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 111.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 335,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $851,379,000 after purchasing an additional 176,623 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC increased its stake in AutoZone by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 243,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $629,780,000 after purchasing an additional 58,989 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in AutoZone by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 195,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $501,512,000 after buying an additional 58,234 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Trading Down 4.5 %

NYSE:AZO opened at $2,829.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $2,894.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2,865.58. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,375.35 and a 1-year high of $3,256.37. The stock has a market cap of $48.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.57, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 21st. The company reported $36.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $35.67 by $1.02. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 54.58% and a net margin of 14.60%. The company had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $34.12 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.57 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Jenna M. Bedsole bought 36 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,757.10 per share, with a total value of $99,255.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president now owns 36 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $99,255.60. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on AZO. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Wolfe Research reduced their price target on AutoZone from $3,150.00 to $3,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,024.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,420.00 to $3,250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,112.88.

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.