Insider Selling: AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) VP Sells $4,910,150.20 in Stock

by · The Markets Daily

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO – Get Free Report) VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AutoZone stock opened at $3,196.61 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,121.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,011.39. The company has a market capitalization of $54.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.11, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,375.35 and a fifty-two week high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share 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 14.60% and a negative return on equity of 54.58%. AutoZone’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $46.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 151.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of AutoZone

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 5.8% during the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,089,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,249,000. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $362,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 18.3% in the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 17,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,897,000 after purchasing an additional 2,660 shares during the period. Finally, Regal Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 39.3% during the second quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 248 shares of the company’s stock worth $735,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AZO shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,038.00 to $3,125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on AutoZone from $3,900.00 to $3,350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 20th. StockNews.com downgraded AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 21st. Mizuho lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $2,600.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,169.38.

Read Our Latest Report on AZO

About AutoZone

(Get Free Report)

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.

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