Apeiron RIA LLC Trims Stock Position in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Apeiron RIA LLC decreased its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 35.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147 shares of the company’s stock after selling 81 shares during the quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $471,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,699,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in AutoZone by 67.0% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,906,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 7.3% in the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $350,000 after buying an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 10.0% in the second quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 1,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,803,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 41,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,932,000 after acquiring an additional 554 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AZO shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Truist Financial upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,501.00 to $3,753.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoZone currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,429.84.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE AZO opened at $3,371.06 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2,672.31 and a fifty-two week high of $3,416.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $3,229.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $3,144.01.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $33.69 by ($1.17). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $32.55 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 152.94 EPS for the current 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.