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

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) was upgraded by 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.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $2,600.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,300.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $3,200.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and four have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,202.71.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE AZO opened at $3,129.16 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $3,131.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3,007.34. AutoZone has a 1 year low of $2,375.35 and a 1 year high of $3,256.37. The company has a market capitalization of $53.46 billion, a PE ratio of 21.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoZone

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AZO. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in AutoZone by 35.3% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,138,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in AutoZone by 60.7% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in AutoZone by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 3,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,059,000 after purchasing an additional 401 shares during the period. Peak Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,816,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $879,000. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

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.