Kinsale Capital Group Inc. Acquires 205 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO)

Kinsale Capital Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 12.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,869 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. AutoZone accounts for 1.6% of Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $5,985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $61,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its stake in AutoZone by 25.0% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,484.56 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3,336.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,217.19. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,728.97 and a 1 year high of $3,500.00. The stock has a market cap of $58.48 billion, a PE ratio of 23.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AZO shares. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $3,700.00 target price for the company. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,800.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,400.00 to $3,450.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,442.61.

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.