William Blair Comments on AutoZone, Inc.’s FY2025 Earnings (NYSE:AZO)

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) – Stock analysts at William Blair dropped their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of AutoZone in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, September 25th. William Blair analyst P. Blee now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $154.26 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $166.80. The consensus estimate for AutoZone’s current full-year earnings is $151.08 per share.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com cut AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 21st. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $2,600.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,394.00 to $3,341.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,787.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,169.38.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of AZO opened at $3,196.61 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $3,121.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $3,011.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.71. AutoZone has a twelve month low of $2,375.35 and a twelve month high of $3,256.37.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 54.58% and a net margin of 14.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $46.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoZone news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,785,166.42. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $295,000. Scotia Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 1,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,847,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 8,519 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,027,000 after purchasing an additional 1,578 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 11,172 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,886,000 after purchasing an additional 1,588 shares during the period. Finally, NEOS Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter valued at about $646,000. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.