AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $4,040.8696.

AZO has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,850.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,478.00 to $3,979.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,345.00 to $4,096.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company 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 report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,000.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th.

More AutoZone News

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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of AutoZone

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in AutoZone by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,797,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,711,912,000 after acquiring an additional 26,544 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in AutoZone by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 492,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,671,323,000 after acquiring an additional 74,555 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in AutoZone by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 387,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,312,654,000 after acquiring an additional 7,390 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth $939,205,000. Finally, PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in AutoZone by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 269,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $912,900,000 after acquiring an additional 3,868 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of AutoZone stock opened at $3,114.30 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $51.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $3,379.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $3,522.92. AutoZone has a fifty-two week low of $2,928.11 and a fifty-two week high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $36.22 by $1.85. The business had revenue of $4.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.40% and a negative return on equity of 80.35%. AutoZone’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $35.36 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AutoZone will post 150.26 EPS for the current year.

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.