AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) Lifted to Strong-Buy at Roth Capital

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) was upgraded by stock analysts at Roth Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Zacks.com reports. Roth Capital also issued estimates for AutoZone’s Q1 2025 earnings at $32.64 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $30.90 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $37.65 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $38.89 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $36.19 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $41.90 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $65.35 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $181.69 EPS.

AZO has been the topic of several other reports. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $3,025.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $3,634.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,038.00 to $3,125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a report on Monday. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,202.71.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO opened at $3,129.16 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.64, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $3,131.84 and a 200 day moving average of $3,007.34. AutoZone has a one year low of $2,375.35 and a one year high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.40% and a negative return on equity of 52.99%. The company had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $46.46 earnings per share. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that AutoZone will post 157.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660 in the last 90 days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AutoZone

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 35.3% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,138,000 after buying an additional 922 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 60.7% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 22,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,326,000 after purchasing an additional 8,427 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 3,509 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,059,000 after buying an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,816,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth $879,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.