Roth Capital Has Bearish Estimate for AutoZone Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Roth Capital has revised its earnings estimates for AutoZone, lowering Q1 2026 EPS expectations from $38.12 to $32.89 while maintaining a "Buy" rating and a price target of $4,750.00.
• AutoZone's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $48.71, missing analysts' forecasts of $50.52, despite a revenue increase of 0.6% year-over-year.
• Multiple analysts, including BMO Capital Markets and Guggenheim, raised their price targets on AutoZone, reflecting continued optimism, with an average consensus price target of $4,538.21.

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) - Analysts at Roth Capital cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for AutoZone in a research report issued on Thursday, September 25th. Roth Capital analyst S. Stember now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $32.89 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $38.12. Roth Capital currently has a "Buy" rating and a $4,750.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for AutoZone's current full-year earnings is $152.94 per share. Roth Capital also issued estimates for AutoZone's Q2 2026 earnings at $28.03 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $38.21 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $55.02 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $153.58 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $46.88 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $189.53 EPS.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 23rd. The company reported $48.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $50.52 by ($1.81). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 60.49% and a net margin of 13.19%.The company had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.26 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $51.58 EPS. The company's revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year.

AZO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,600.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,600.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $4,700.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,250.00 to $4,500.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,155.00 to $4,811.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $4,538.21.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of AZO stock opened at $4,196.29 on Monday. AutoZone has a 1 year low of $2,980.10 and a 1 year high of $4,388.11. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $4,079.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,821.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.41.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,875.90, for a total transaction of $11,627,700.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,925 shares in the company, valued at $11,337,007.50. This represents a 50.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 2,860 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4,175.70, for a total transaction of $11,942,502.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,194,570.80. This trade represents a 69.69% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,745,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 84 shares of the company's stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. SevenBridge Financial Group LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 71.2% during the 2nd quarter. SevenBridge Financial Group LLC now owns 673 shares of the company's stock worth $2,692,000 after buying an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in AutoZone by 130.4% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,000 shares of the company's stock worth $7,419,000 after buying an additional 1,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,469,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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