AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Acquired by United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund

Key Points

• United Super Pty Ltd boosted its AutoZone stake by 15.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 14,224 shares valued at about $48.2 million.
• AutoZone reported better-than-expected earnings for the quarter, with EPS of $38.07 versus estimates of $36.22, while revenue rose 8.4% year over year to $4.84 billion.
• Despite a mixed revenue result and some margin pressure, Wall Street remains broadly bullish, with several analysts maintaining buy/outperform ratings even as some trimmed price targets.

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund increased its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) by 15.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,224 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,882 shares during the quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund owned about 0.09% of AutoZone worth $48,241,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth about $1,808,000. Newport Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC now owns 461 shares of the company's stock worth $1,563,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 95 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the period. Finally, Allstate Corp lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 108.9% in the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 1,247 shares of the company's stock worth $4,229,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company's stock.

Key AutoZone News

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AutoZone said commercial sales and market share gains remain strong, and management is still targeting 355 to 365 new store openings this fiscal year, supporting the growth outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts, including Jefferies, BNP Paribas Exane, TD Cowen, JPMorgan, Citigroup, and others, kept bullish ratings such as buy, outperform, or overweight despite lowering targets, implying upside remains from current levels. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: AutoZone beat EPS estimates and posted 8.4% revenue growth year over year, but revenue still came in slightly below consensus, creating a mixed reaction from investors. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: AutoZone shares are under pressure after a quarterly revenue miss and gross margin contraction, prompting multiple price-target cuts from Wall Street firms. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary pointed to slower international growth and weaker late-quarter trends, reinforcing concerns that near-term momentum may be cooling after an otherwise solid quarter. Article Title

AutoZone Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,006.97 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a twelve month low of $2,945.00 and a twelve month high of $4,388.11. The company has a market capitalization of $49.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $3,430.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $3,570.14.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $36.22 by $1.85. The firm had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.86 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $35.36 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 149.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $4,300.00 price objective (up from $4,150.00) on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $4,000.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,900.00 to $3,600.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,250.00 to $3,700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,020.00 to $3,605.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoZone currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $4,040.87.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. The trade was a 1.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

AutoZone Profile

AutoZone, Inc NYSE: AZO is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories. Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the company supplies a wide range of aftermarket components, maintenance items and accessories for passenger cars, light trucks and commercial vehicles. Its product assortment includes engine parts, electrical components, batteries, brakes, filters, fluids and interior and exterior accessories, supported by inventory management and logistics systems to serve retail customers and professional service providers.

AutoZone serves both do‑it‑yourself (DIY) consumers and commercial customers such as independent repair shops and service centers.

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