AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) Given New $4,345.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) had its price objective lifted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $4,274.00 to $4,345.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning,MarketScreener reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on AZO. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Tuesday. Roth Mkm cut their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $4,400.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price objective on AutoZone from $4,500.00 to $4,100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,300.70.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO opened at $3,711.77 on Wednesday. AutoZone has a 52-week low of $3,210.72 and a 52-week high of $4,388.11. The firm has a market cap of $61.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.00, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s fifty day moving average is $3,612.21 and its 200-day moving average is $3,824.75.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $28.29 earnings per share. AutoZone’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that AutoZone will post 152.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael A. George bought 145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $3,398.13 per share, with a total value of $492,728.85. Following the acquisition, the director owned 566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,923,341.58. This represents a 34.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Richard Craig Smith sold 5,910 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,627 shares in the company, valued at $9,719,900. The trade was a 69.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 347 shares of company stock valued at $1,179,256 and sold 9,447 shares valued at $34,179,923. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoZone

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,797,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,711,912,000 after purchasing an additional 26,544 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew 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 valued at $3,472,724,000 after purchasing an additional 935,230 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in AutoZone by 1.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 714,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,650,870,000 after buying an additional 11,088 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of AutoZone by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 492,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,671,323,000 after buying an additional 74,555 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $1,649,228,000 after buying an additional 8,187 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EPS beat and revenue growth: AutoZone topped quarterly EPS estimates and delivered +8% sales year-over-year, with commercial sales and store openings helping offset weaknesses. Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Growth blueprint: Management reiterated an aggressive store-growth plan (targeting ~350–360 new stores in 2026), which supports longer-term revenue and commercial expansion. Store Growth Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upside: Multiple major firms raised targets or reiterated buys (Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Barclays among others), providing visible broker support that likely buoyed the stock. Analyst Raises
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst actions: While several banks lifted targets, others trimmed theirs (BMO, DA Davidson, Roth, Truist made adjustments), leaving a split analyst picture and some debate over valuation vs. execution. Price Target Moves
• Negative Sentiment: Top-line weakness from weather and comps: Management said winter storms and weaker comparable-store sales (including softness in Mexico) drove the revenue shortfall relative to expectations. That miss weighed on near-term sentiment. Winter Weather Impact
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure and cost headwinds: Inflationary input costs, higher production expenses, LIFO accounting effects and accelerated SG&A investment compressed margins and prompted analyst scrutiny of profit sustainability. Margin Pressure

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.