Barclays Raises AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) Price Target to $3,900.00

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) had its price objective upped by stock analysts at Barclays from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 5.58% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on AZO. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,400.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,700.00 to $4,500.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,600.00 to $4,400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,500.00 to $4,100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group set a $4,800.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,279.00.

AutoZone Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:AZO traded up $56.80 on Wednesday, reaching $3,693.97. 10,109 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 166,450. AutoZone has a twelve month low of $3,210.72 and a twelve month high of $4,388.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $3,607.18 and a 200-day moving average of $3,825.54. The company has a market capitalization of $61.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.76, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.41.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $4.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.31 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.78% and a negative return on equity of 65.38%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $28.29 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AutoZone will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, Director Brian Hannasch bought 147 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $3,393.09 per share, with a total value of $498,784.23. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 962 shares in the company, valued at $3,264,152.58. This represents a 18.04% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 2,627 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,719,900. This trade represents a 69.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 347 shares of company stock valued at $1,179,256 and have sold 9,447 shares valued at $34,179,923. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AutoZone

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AZO. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,179,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 7.8% in the third quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 8,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,145,000 after buying an additional 613 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments boosted its holdings in AutoZone by 132.8% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $678,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 68.2% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,251,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More AutoZone News

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Small EPS beat and revenue growth: AutoZone reported EPS of $27.63, slightly above consensus, and total net sales rose ~8.1% year-over-year, showing underlying demand. MarketBeat Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Same-store sales improvement: Total company same-store sales increased ~3.3% (domestic ~3.4%), indicating continued traffic and resiliency in core retail operations. GlobeNewswire Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: DA Davidson kept a Buy rating while trimming its price target (from $4,500 to $4,100), signaling some analysts view the pullback as a buying opportunity. MarketScreener
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and call details: The earnings call/transcript reviewed operational drivers and margin dynamics; useful for longer‑term positioning but did not materially change near-term outlook. Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations: Net sales of ~$4.27B came in below the ~ $4.31B analyst consensus, which investors view as a key miss given AutoZone’s size and recent growth run. Yahoo Finance Sales Report
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure and profit decline: Company cited inflationary headwinds and margin compression; second-quarter profit fell and net margin weakened, a major driver of investor concern about near-term profitability. Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Operational headwinds and market reaction: Winter storms were called out as a sales headwind and investors sold off sharply after the revenue miss and margin commentary (coverage notes report a ~9% intraday drop), amplifying the stock decline. WSJ

AutoZone Company Profile

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.