Aurdan Capital Management LLC Decreases Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Aurdan Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 38.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 414 shares of the company’s stock after selling 262 shares during the period. Aurdan Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,776,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,742 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,179,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. lifted its position in AutoZone by 7.8% in the third quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 8,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,145,000 after purchasing an additional 613 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments lifted its position in AutoZone by 132.8% in the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $678,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 68.2% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,251,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO opened at $3,602.35 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,556.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3,848.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.68 billion, a PE ratio of 25.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $3,210.72 and a one year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported $31.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $32.69 by ($1.65). The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.64 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 65.38% and a net margin of 12.78%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $32.52 EPS. Analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on AZO shares. Barclays set a $3,880.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $4,400.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on AutoZone from $4,234.00 to $4,274.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on AutoZone from $4,900.00 to $4,400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,296.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, Director Brian Hannasch acquired 147 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $3,393.09 per share, with a total value of $498,784.23. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,264,152.58. This represents a 18.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total value of $21,867,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,719,900. The trade was a 69.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 347 shares of company stock valued at $1,179,256 and have sold 9,447 shares valued at $34,179,923. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Profile

AutoZone, Inc (NYSE: AZO) is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do?it?yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.