AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Holdings Increased by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,608 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $21,159,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone by 482,040.2% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,343,117,000 after purchasing an additional 419,375 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at $834,556,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at about $471,629,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 6,083.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 90,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,281,000 after acquiring an additional 89,190 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth about $189,483,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,800.01, for a total value of $7,600,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $619,401.63. The trade was a 92.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 136 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.08, for a total value of $482,810.88. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,430,682.24. This trade represents a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,721 shares of company stock worth $24,609,331. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,769.72 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $63.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,483.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,279.56. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,728.97 and a 52-week high of $3,838.00.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $29.11 by ($0.82). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AZO shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,753.00 to $3,841.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Argus cut AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $3,763.00 target price on AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,683.36.

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.