Zacks Research Has Bearish Forecast for AutoZone Q1 Earnings

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) - Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for AutoZone in a research report issued on Monday, June 9th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $36.26 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $37.00. The consensus estimate for AutoZone's current full-year earnings is $152.94 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AutoZone's Q3 2026 earnings at $39.03 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $58.80 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $165.66 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $39.23 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $37.80 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $183.49 EPS.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 27th. The company reported $35.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $37.07 by ($1.71). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The company 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. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Capital set a $4,135.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Mizuho raised their price objective on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $4,000.00 target price (up from $3,750.00) on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Argus cut AutoZone from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of AutoZone from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $4,072.24.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO stock traded down $0.29 on Wednesday, hitting $3,658.30. The stock had a trading volume of 84,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,720. The stock's 50 day moving average is $3,689.09 and its 200-day moving average is $3,499.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.40. AutoZone has a 52-week low of $2,792.14 and a 52-week high of $3,916.81.

Institutional Trading of AutoZone

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. AlphaCore Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 10 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Philip B. Daniele sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,800.01, for a total transaction of $7,600,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 163 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $619,401.63. The trade was a 92.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jamere Jackson sold 2,612 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,728.05, for a total transaction of $9,737,666.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 427 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,591,877.35. The trade was a 85.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,262 shares of company stock worth $45,194,187 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.