Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 699 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,122 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 699 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $50,785,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 592.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,012,000 after acquiring an additional 7,879 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in AutoZone by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,769,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 2.2% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 638 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,010,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in AutoZone by 7.2% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,866,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in AutoZone by 2.1% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,544,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,166.42. This represents a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total transaction of $40,392,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at $43,055,777.55. This represents a 48.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660 over the last three months. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on AZO. Roth Capital upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $3,200.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. BNP Paribas raised shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,202.71.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.9 %

AZO stock opened at $3,107.53 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $52.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,510.00 and a 52 week high of $3,256.37. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,112.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,024.56.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. AutoZone’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $46.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 EPS for the current fiscal 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.