Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Sells 168 Shares of AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lowered its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,051 shares of the company’s stock after selling 168 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $20,522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. acquired a new position in AutoZone in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 50.0% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 9 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 3 shares during the last quarter. Newport Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AZO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,800.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,478.00 to $3,979.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of AutoZone from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group set a $4,800.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,850.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,040.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other AutoZone news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. This represents a 1.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Brian Hannasch purchased 165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2,987.00 per share, for a total transaction of $492,855.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,641,153. This trade represents a 15.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about AutoZone

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for AutoZone to $150.59 from $149.47, slightly above the consensus estimate of $150.18, suggesting the company may still meet or modestly beat current-year expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: AutoZone’s recent earnings surprise remains a focal point for investors, with commentary suggesting the company outperformed expectations this quarter, helping support the longer-term bull case. What’s Behind AutoZone’s Earnings Surprise This Quarter?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed multiple future EPS forecasts for AutoZone, including Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, Q1 2028, Q2 2028, Q3 2028, FY2027, and FY2028. That pattern suggests analysts see some moderation in earnings momentum over the medium term.

AutoZone Stock Performance

Shares of AZO stock opened at $3,114.30 on Thursday. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52 week low of $2,928.11 and a 52 week high of $4,388.11. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $3,379.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,522.92. The company has a market capitalization of $51.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.35.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $36.22 by $1.85. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.40% and a negative return on equity of 80.35%. The company had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $35.36 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.26 earnings per share for the current year.

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.