Roth Capital Upgrades AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) to Strong-Buy

Roth Capital upgraded shares of AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Tuesday morning, Zacks.com reports. Roth Capital also issued estimates for AutoZone's Q1 2025 earnings at $32.64 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $30.90 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $37.65 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $38.89 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $36.19 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $41.90 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $65.35 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $181.69 EPS.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Redburn Atlantic raised AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,300.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $2,600.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,225.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $3,202.71.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.9 %

AutoZone stock traded up $27.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $3,156.01. 86,978 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 140,233. AutoZone has a fifty-two week low of $2,375.35 and a fifty-two week high of $3,256.37. The firm has a market cap of $53.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.83, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3,131.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $3,008.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 52.99% and a net margin of 14.40%. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $46.46 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that AutoZone will post 157.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total transaction of $40,392,950.00. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company's stock, valued at $43,055,777.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total transaction of $40,392,950.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoZone

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SageView Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter valued at about $284,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth approximately $879,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 5.7% during the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 335 shares of the company's stock worth $1,056,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 5.1% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 103 shares of the company's stock valued at $325,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.