Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC Sells 9 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 384 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9 shares during the period. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $1,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 421,716 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,326,545,000 after purchasing an additional 7,365 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 482,040.2% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,343,117,000 after buying an additional 419,375 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth approximately $834,556,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,575 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,867,000 after acquiring an additional 13,771 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshfield Associates grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Marshfield Associates now owns 169,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $534,204,000 after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AZO shares. Raymond James reiterated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of AutoZone from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $3,044.00 to $3,811.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,490.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on AutoZone from $3,775.00 to $3,830.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,724.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Dennis W. Leriche sold 1,575 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,600.00, for a total value of $5,670,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 417 shares in the company, valued at $1,501,200. The trade was a 79.07 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total transaction of $568,000.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 50 shares in the company, valued at $177,500. This trade represents a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,721 shares of company stock worth $24,609,331 in the last ninety days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AutoZone Trading Down 4.5 %

AZO stock opened at $3,654.02 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,728.97 and a 12 month high of $3,916.81. The stock has a market cap of $61.32 billion, a PE ratio of 24.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $3,531.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,303.38.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $29.11 by ($0.82). The company had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. Sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current year.

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.