13,208 AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Purchased by YHB Investment Advisors Inc.

by · The Cerbat Gem

YHB Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO – Free Report) by 1,628.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,019 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,208 shares during the period. AutoZone accounts for 2.5% of YHB Investment Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of AutoZone worth $39,674,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AZO. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock worth $756,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 24,060.0% during the third quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,208 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,203 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 4,267.9% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. now owns 2,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,922,000 after buying an additional 2,390 shares during the period. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Strong Retirement Solutions LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 44.9% during the third quarter. Strong Retirement Solutions LLC now owns 287 shares of the company’s stock worth $812,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AZO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $3,700.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. UBS Group set a $3,850.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $3,500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,669.12.

Get Our Latest Report on AutoZone

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE:AZO traded up $72.95 on Thursday, reaching $2,919.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 69,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 264,230. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,730.65 and a 1-year high of $4,146.42. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $2,949.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,149.16. The firm has a market cap of $47.67 billion, a PE ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.40.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 22nd. The company reported $56.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $55.51. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 90.08% and a net margin of 12.65%.The business had revenue of $6.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $48.71 EPS. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that AutoZone, Inc. will post 172.12 EPS for the current year.

AutoZone announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 16th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, VP Dennis LeRiche sold 1,455 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,100.00, for a total transaction of $4,510,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,367,100. This represents a 76.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Bernstein upgraded AutoZone (AZO) to Strong Buy, a potentially meaningful catalyst because it signals increased confidence in the company’s long-term earnings and valuation outlook. Bernstein upgrades AutoZone stock to Strong Buy
  • Positive Sentiment: AutoZone has an average analyst price target of $3,669.12, materially above the cited trading level, indicating analysts see potential upside. AutoZone, Inc. Stock Has Average Price Target of $3,669.12
  • Positive Sentiment: Zacks initiated a FY2029 EPS estimate of $220.60, suggesting substantial longer-term earnings growth from the current full-year consensus estimate of $172.12.
  • Neutral Sentiment: Zacks raised its Q3 2028 EPS forecast modestly to $46.56 from $45.66, but this increase was outweighed by reductions to several other quarterly and annual estimates.
  • Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut EPS forecasts across much of its outlook: FY2027 to $166.16 from $174.73, FY2028 to $190.08 from $197.32, Q1 2027 to $34.65, Q2 2027 to $31.45, Q3 2027 to $41.91, Q4 2027 to $58.15, Q1 2028 to $41.39, and Q2 2028 to $39.11. The broad revisions imply more cautious expectations for near- and medium-term profitability.
  • Negative Sentiment: The estimate reductions could pressure AZO because they lower expectations for future earnings growth, even though the company’s latest reported revenue increased year over year and its prior quarterly EPS exceeded consensus.

AutoZone Company Profile

(Free Report)

AutoZone, Inc is a specialty retailer of automotive replacement parts, accessories and maintenance products. The company serves do-it-yourself customers as well as professional automotive repair shops, offering products such as batteries, brakes, filters, engine components, tools, fluids and other vehicle parts.

In addition to its retail stores, AutoZone provides commercial sales and delivery services for professional repair businesses. The company also operates ALLDATA, which offers automotive diagnostic, repair and shop-management software and information services to repair professionals.

Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, AutoZone operates primarily in the United States, with additional stores and operations in Mexico and Brazil.

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