AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Shares Sold by Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC

Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lowered its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 349 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13 shares during the quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 482,040.2% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,343,117,000 after buying an additional 419,375 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth about $471,629,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $292,544,000 after acquiring an additional 60,483 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at about $189,483,000. Finally, Canoe Financial LP grew its stake in AutoZone by 542.8% during the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 62,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $200,032,000 after purchasing an additional 52,753 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AZO shares. Guggenheim upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Argus downgraded shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,646.62.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AutoZone stock opened at $3,620.28 on Monday. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,728.97 and a one year high of $3,636.96. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,365.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,230.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71.

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 firm had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total transaction of $568,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.