Wedbush Has Pessimistic Outlook of AutoZone FY2025 Earnings

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) – Wedbush lowered their FY2025 earnings estimates for AutoZone in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 5th. Wedbush analyst S. Basham now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $148.90 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $152.10. Wedbush currently has a “Outperform” rating and a $3,700.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for AutoZone’s current full-year earnings is $152.94 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for AutoZone’s FY2026 earnings at $165.79 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $189.89 EPS.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The company reported $28.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $29.11 by ($0.82). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Argus lowered shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,024.00 to $3,585.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Roth Mkm raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,634.00 to $3,763.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and four have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,646.62.

AutoZone Price Performance

NYSE:AZO opened at $3,620.28 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $3,365.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,229.85. AutoZone has a 1-year low of $2,728.97 and a 1-year high of $3,636.96. The firm has a market cap of $60.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.71.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In related news, SVP Bailey L. Childress sold 160 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,550.00, for a total value of $568,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 50 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $177,500. The trade was a 76.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AZO. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 482,040.2% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 419,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,343,117,000 after buying an additional 419,375 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at about $834,556,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at about $471,629,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 6,083.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 90,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $290,281,000 after buying an additional 89,190 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its holdings in AutoZone by 82.6% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 170,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $545,033,000 after buying an additional 77,015 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Company Profile

AutoZone, Inc retails and distributes automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company provides various products for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products.