SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Stock Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 497.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 14,877 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,385 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $47,636,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 18.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,717,000 after acquiring an additional 6,898 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,544,000 after acquiring an additional 60,483 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 34,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $111,455,000 after acquiring an additional 7,922 shares during the period. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,460,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Verde Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter valued at about $1,137,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $3,634.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $3,025.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Monday, September 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,326.80 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $3,226.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,142.72. The company has a market cap of $55.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,672.31 and a 52-week high of $3,416.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $33.69 by ($1.17). The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $32.55 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.