AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) Stock Price Expected to Rise, The Goldman Sachs Group Analyst Says

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) had its price objective raised by stock analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $4,274.00 to $4,345.00 in a report released on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 17.62% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on AZO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on AutoZone from $4,100.00 to $4,300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective 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. Guggenheim cut 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 research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. Finally, Roth Mkm dropped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,279.00.

AutoZone Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE:AZO traded up $56.80 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $3,693.97. 10,109 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 166,450. AutoZone has a 12 month low of $3,210.72 and a 12 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 stock has a market cap of $61.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.76, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.41.

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

Insider Activity at AutoZone

In other news, Director Brian Hannasch purchased 147 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $3,393.09 per share, with a total value of $498,784.23. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,264,152.58. This represents a 18.04% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director George R. Mrkonic, Jr. sold 97 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,341.99, for a total value of $324,173.03. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,910,852.36. This represents a 2.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of AutoZone by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 111 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at $356,000. Mission Wealth Management LP boosted its stake in AutoZone by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock worth $449,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth about $397,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in AutoZone by 66.7% during the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Key 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.