Robert W. Baird Issues Pessimistic Forecast for AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) Stock Price

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) had its price target reduced by investment analysts at Robert W. Baird from $3,600.00 to $3,400.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird’s price target indicates a potential upside of 17.61% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial set a $3,700.00 price objective on AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on AutoZone from $4,150.00 to $3,500.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on AutoZone from $3,600.00 to $3,200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays set a $3,400.00 price target on shares of AutoZone in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AutoZone from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. One research 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,858.96.

AutoZone Trading Up 3.1%

AZO opened at $2,891.00 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $47.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.34. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $2,986.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $3,205.00. AutoZone has a 12 month low of $2,796.85 and a 12 month high of $4,332.68.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, September 22nd. The company reported $56.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $55.51. The company had revenue of $6.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.70 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 12.40%.AutoZone’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $48.71 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoZone will post 150.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, June 16th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other AutoZone news, VP Dennis LeRiche sold 1,455 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,100.00, for a total transaction of $4,510,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,367,100. This represents a 76.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 9 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 3 shares during the period. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Asset Dedication LLC grew its position in shares of AutoZone by 150.0% during the 1st quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 10 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tacita Capital Inc purchased a new position in shares of AutoZone during the second quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

More AutoZone News

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Profit significantly exceeded expectations: AutoZone reported fiscal fourth-quarter diluted EPS of $56.05, up from $48.71 a year earlier and above analyst estimates of roughly $54.50. Net income rose to $931.6 million, while operating profit increased 10.1% to approximately $1.3 billion. AutoZone fourth-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion and market-share gains support the outlook: Quarterly sales increased 5.6% to $6.59 billion, AutoZone opened 175 stores, and management said it is well positioned for fiscal 2027 sales growth. International same-store sales were particularly strong, and analysts highlighted the company’s expanding global store network as a source of future growth. Why AutoZone stock rallied
• Positive Sentiment: Margin gains and capital returns helped investor sentiment: Gross margin improved to 53.3%, aided by tariff refunds and a favorable LIFO comparison. AutoZone also repurchased about $697.5 million of stock during the quarter, supporting per-share earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue and comparable-store growth were mixed: Quarterly revenue fell short of forecasts, while domestic same-store sales rose only 1.6% on a constant-currency basis. The earnings beat therefore depended partly on margin benefits that may not recur.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade remains an overhang: AutoZone reached a new 12-month low following an analyst downgrade before the earnings-driven rebound, reflecting concerns about slowing comparable sales and the sustainability of recent earnings growth. AutoZone reaches new 12-month low

About AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc is a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts, accessories, and maintenance products. The company serves do-it-yourself customers, professional service technicians, and commercial repair businesses through its stores, distribution network, and online platform.

Its product offerings include replacement parts such as batteries, brakes, engine components, and ignition products, along with tools, fluids, filters, and other automotive accessories. AutoZone also provides services such as parts lookup, diagnostic assistance, battery testing and charging, and loaner tools for eligible repairs.

Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, AutoZone operates primarily in the United States, with additional locations in Mexico and Brazil.