Mizuho Securities USA LLC Purchases 7,879 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 592.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,210 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,879 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC owned about 0.05% of AutoZone worth $29,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 16.6% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,514 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,769,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 2.2% during the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,010,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in AutoZone by 7.2% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,866,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in AutoZone by 2.1% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 490 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,544,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bretton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,300,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value 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 approximately $3,785,166.42. This represents a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. This represents a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,107.53 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12 month low of $2,510.00 and a 12 month high of $3,256.37. The firm has a market capitalization 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. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $3,112.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,024.09.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,202.71.

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.