FY2025 EPS Estimates for AutoZone Lowered by William Blair

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO - Free Report) - Equities researchers at William Blair decreased their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of AutoZone in a report released on Tuesday, December 10th. William Blair analyst P. Blee now expects that the company will earn $152.93 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $154.26. The consensus estimate for AutoZone's current full-year earnings is $154.29 per share.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Truist Financial lifted their target price on AutoZone from $3,501.00 to $3,753.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $3,200.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Roth Capital upgraded shares of AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded AutoZone to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $3,360.47.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO stock traded up $26.33 on Friday, hitting $3,366.81. The stock had a trading volume of 63,132 shares, compared to its average volume of 139,279. The company's 50 day moving average price is $3,148.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,061.08. AutoZone has a 1 year low of $2,510.00 and a 1 year high of $3,416.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $33.69 by ($1.17). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The company had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $32.55 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Insider Activity

In other AutoZone news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of the 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 value of $40,392,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company's stock, valued at $43,055,777.55. This trade represents a 48.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total value of $4,910,150.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. This represents a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660 in the last 90 days. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoZone

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 354,692.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 993,419 shares of the company's stock worth $31,293,100,000 after purchasing an additional 993,139 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the second quarter worth $424,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 2,714.8% during the second quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 120,194 shares of the company's stock valued at $356,267,000 after purchasing an additional 115,924 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company's stock valued at $292,544,000 after purchasing an additional 60,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in AutoZone by 319.0% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 36,225 shares of the company's stock valued at $107,375,000 after buying an additional 27,580 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company's stock.

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.