Mizuho Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) Stock

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at Mizuho from $3,550.00 to $3,600.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Mizuho’s price target points to a potential downside of 3.08% from the stock’s previous close.

AZO has been the subject of a number of other reports. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 9th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on AutoZone from $4,811.00 to $4,268.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on AutoZone from $4,500.00 to $4,100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore lifted their price objective on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,302.87.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AZO opened at $3,714.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.02, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.41. AutoZone has a one year low of $3,210.72 and a one year high of $4,388.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $3,612.21 and a 200 day moving average of $3,824.75.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 72.31% and a net margin of 12.47%.The business had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $28.29 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that AutoZone will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total value of $823,750.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,102,665. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,700.00, for a total value of $21,867,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 2,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,719,900. This represents a 69.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 347 shares of company stock valued at $1,179,256 and sold 9,447 shares valued at $34,179,923. 2.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoZone

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AZO. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aspect Partners LLC raised its holdings in AutoZone by 700.0% during the 2nd quarter. Aspect Partners LLC now owns 8 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the period. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting AutoZone

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EPS slightly beat expectations and same-quarter gross sales rose year-over-year, showing underlying demand resilience. AutoZone Q2 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Management is targeting 350–360 new stores for 2026, which supports longer-term revenue and footprint growth. Store Expansion Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Several major shops raised price targets (Goldman Sachs, Citi, Morgan Stanley), reflecting continued analyst confidence in AutoZone’s longer-term earnings power despite the quarter’s softness. Analyst Price Target Raises
• Neutral Sentiment: Topline was up ~8% year-over-year but missed consensus (~$4.27B vs $4.31B expected), so growth exists but fell short of Street forecasts. Sales Miss / WSJ
• Neutral Sentiment: Company released the Q2 earnings presentation and call transcript for detail — useful for judging margin cadence and inventory accounting impacts. Earnings Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Management said unusually strong winter storms reduced parts demand patterns and weighed on comparable sales, a near-term sales headwind cited repeatedly on the call. Winter Weather Headwind
• Negative Sentiment: Margins came under pressure from higher production and freight costs, LIFO accounting impacts and accelerated SG&A investments — these factors could weigh on near-term profitability. Margins & Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Sales were softer in international (notably Mexico), adding to the revenue shortfall concerns for the quarter. International Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Some brokers trimmed price targets (DA Davidson, BMO, Roth, Truist tweaks) and a number of outlets noted shares fell after the report — underscoring the market’s focus on the revenue miss and margin headwinds. Analyst PT Cuts

About AutoZone

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.