Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $41.77 Million Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 5.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,257 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned about 0.08% of AutoZone worth $41,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone by 50.0% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 15 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone in the third quarter worth about $47,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the third quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the second quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total value of $922,560.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at $42,613,046.40. This trade represents a 2.12 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. This represents a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on AZO shares. Citigroup cut their target price on AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 21st. Roth Capital upgraded shares of AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $3,634.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,232.88.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,308.39 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $3,128.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,043.20. The company has a market cap of $55.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,510.00 and a 52-week high of $3,313.00.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion for 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%. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $46.46 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 158.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About AutoZone

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.