AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Stock Sold by American National Bank & Trust

American National Bank & Trust cut its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 11.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,393 shares of the company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. American National Bank & Trust’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $6,747,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,938,566,000. First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew its stake in AutoZone by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 261,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $886,246,000 after acquiring an additional 6,765 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 247,417.8% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 249,993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $798,963,000 after purchasing an additional 249,892 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in AutoZone during the second quarter worth approximately $572,885,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 11,577.6% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 141,066 shares of the company’s stock valued at $450,838,000 after acquiring an additional 139,858 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.7%

AutoZone stock traded down $20.88 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $2,877.69. The company had a trading volume of 42,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 264,800. The stock has a market cap of $46.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.40. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2,730.65 and a 1 year high of $4,146.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $2,955.17 and a 200 day moving average of $3,152.61.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, September 22nd. The company reported $56.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $55.51. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 90.08% and a net margin of 12.65%.The firm had revenue of $6.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $48.71 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 172.12 earnings per share for the current year.

AutoZone announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, June 16th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Key AutoZone News

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein upgraded AutoZone to “Strong Buy,” signaling increased confidence in the company’s earnings outlook and valuation. Bernstein upgrades AutoZone stock to Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts’ average price target is $3,669.12, materially above the referenced share price near $2,885, implying substantial potential upside if the target is achieved. AutoZone Stock Has Average Price Target of $3,669.12
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its Q3 fiscal 2028 EPS estimate to $46.56 from $45.66 and projected fiscal 2029 EPS of $220.60, indicating longer-term earnings growth potential. Zacks Research Comments on AutoZone’s Q2 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut estimates for Q2 fiscal 2027 EPS to $31.45 from $32.61, Q3 fiscal 2027 EPS to $41.91 from $42.64, and Q2 fiscal 2028 EPS to $39.11 from $40.45. It also reduced fiscal 2028 EPS to $190.08 from $197.32. These revisions suggest near- and medium-term profit expectations are softening, despite the company’s $172.12 current-year consensus EPS estimate. AutoZone analyst estimate revisions

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on AZO. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $3,500.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Oppenheimer set a $3,400.00 price objective on shares of AutoZone in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Guggenheim decreased their price target on AutoZone from $4,000.00 to $3,750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on AutoZone from $4,096.00 to $3,917.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AutoZone from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3,669.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

AutoZone Profile

AutoZone, Inc is a specialty retailer of automotive replacement parts, accessories and maintenance products. The company serves do-it-yourself customers as well as professional automotive repair shops, offering products such as batteries, brakes, filters, engine components, tools, fluids and other vehicle parts.

In addition to its retail stores, AutoZone provides commercial sales and delivery services for professional repair businesses. The company also operates ALLDATA, which offers automotive diagnostic, repair and shop-management software and information services to repair professionals.

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