DA Davidson Issues Optimistic Forecast for AutoZone Earnings

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at DA Davidson lifted their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for AutoZone in a report released on Tuesday, July 1st. DA Davidson analyst M. Baker now forecasts that the company will earn $147.51 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $143.85. DA Davidson has a "Buy" rating and a $4,850.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for AutoZone's current full-year earnings is $152.94 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for AutoZone's Q4 2025 earnings at $51.54 EPS.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 27th. The company reported $35.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $37.07 by ($1.71). AutoZone had a net margin of 13.56% and a negative return on equity of 56.07%. The business had revenue of $4.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $36.69 earnings per share. AutoZone's revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on AZO. Roth Capital set a $4,135.00 price objective on AutoZone and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,850.00 to $4,100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $4,200.00 price objective on AutoZone and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Evercore ISI set a $3,950.00 price objective on AutoZone in a report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on AutoZone from $4,025.00 to $4,260.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $4,087.00.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO stock traded down $18.34 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $3,667.00. 84,768 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 130,305. AutoZone has a 12-month low of $2,801.49 and a 12-month high of $3,916.81. The company has a market cap of $61.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $3,700.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,541.64.

Institutional Trading of AutoZone

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in AutoZone by 435,031.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 770,182 shares of the company's stock worth $2,936,535,000 after purchasing an additional 770,005 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth about $834,556,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the first quarter worth about $442,530,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 6,083.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 90,656 shares of the company's stock worth $290,281,000 after buying an additional 89,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 82.6% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,216 shares of the company's stock worth $545,033,000 after buying an additional 77,015 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP K. Michelle Borninkhof sold 750 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,597.13, for a total transaction of $2,697,847.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 406 shares in the company, valued at $1,460,434.78. The trade was a 64.88% decrease in their position. 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 27,500 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,708.93, for a total value of $101,995,575.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 8,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,696,515.78. This represents a 76.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 35,662 shares of company stock worth $131,999,089 in the last quarter. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.