Horrell Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Horrell Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,770 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. AutoZone comprises about 3.5% of Horrell Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Horrell Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $12,072,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 18.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,717,000 after purchasing an additional 6,898 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in 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 during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in AutoZone by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 34,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,455,000 after acquiring an additional 7,922 shares during the period. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in AutoZone by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,460,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic lifted its stake in AutoZone by 51.3% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 590 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,889,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.9 %

AZO opened at $3,605.88 on Monday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,728.97 and a 12-month high of $3,704.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.51 billion, a PE ratio of 24.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $3,433.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3,259.40.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly 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 negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. As a group, analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,490.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,525.00 to $3,700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,700.00 to $3,850.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $3,700.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,683.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 136 shares of AutoZone 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 transaction of $482,810.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,430,682.24. The trade was a 25.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 2,850 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,610.00, for a total transaction of $10,288,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,555,640. This trade represents a 49.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,721 shares of company stock valued at $17,009,311. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.