Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Buys 255 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 17.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,701 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $4,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lafayette Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Lafayette Investments Inc. now owns 3,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,437,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $396,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 2,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,857,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,401,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth approximately $19,555,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.4 %

AZO stock opened at $2,985.55 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $3,005.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2,757.38. The stock has a market cap of $51.71 billion, a PE ratio of 21.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.70. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,277.88 and a 1 year high of $3,256.37.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total value of $13,247,439.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,845,512. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other AutoZone news, VP Eric S. Gould sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction of $6,720,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 910 shares in the company, valued at $2,912,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 4,190 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,161.68, for a total transaction of $13,247,439.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,845,512. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,990 shares of company stock worth $50,335,193 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on AZO. StockNews.com downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on AutoZone from $2,900.00 to $3,100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Evercore ISI reduced 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. Mizuho began coverage on AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $3,450.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,100.00 to $3,425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,086.61.

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.