Zacks Research Weighs in on AutoZone FY2028 Earnings

Key Points

• AutoZone's FY2028 earnings per share (EPS) is estimated at $194.57 by Zacks Research, while the current full-year consensus estimate is $152.94.
• The latest earnings report showed AutoZone's EPS at $48.71, missing expectations of $50.52, with a revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter.
• Multiple firms have raised their price targets for AutoZone, with Barclays and Goldman Sachs setting new targets of $4,610.00 and $4,090.00 respectively, while Zacks Research maintains a "Strong Sell" rating.

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research issued their FY2028 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for AutoZone in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research analyst Team expects that the company will earn $194.57 per share for the year. Zacks Research currently has a "Strong Sell" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for AutoZone's current full-year earnings is $152.94 per share.

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). The firm had revenue of $6.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.26 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 60.49% and a net margin of 13.19%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $51.58 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on AZO. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on AutoZone from $3,894.00 to $4,090.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Barclays raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,916.00 to $4,610.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Mizuho raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,740.00 to $4,050.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,255.00 to $4,750.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,250.00 to $4,500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $4,544.68.

AutoZone Trading Down 1.6%

NYSE AZO opened at $4,020.44 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $67.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average of $4,141.30 and a 200-day moving average of $3,851.18. AutoZone has a 1-year low of $2,980.10 and a 1-year high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, October 8th that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoZone

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in AutoZone by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,771,004 shares of the company's stock worth $6,574,374,000 after acquiring an additional 11,142 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 7.5% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 936,401 shares of the company's stock worth $3,570,296,000 after purchasing an additional 65,368 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 371,123.0% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 935,482 shares of the company's stock worth $3,472,724,000 after purchasing an additional 935,230 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 1.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 714,091 shares of the company's stock worth $2,650,870,000 after purchasing an additional 11,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 444,671 shares of the company's stock worth $1,649,228,000 after buying an additional 8,187 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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