Mizuho Lowers AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) Price Target to $3,000.00

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) had its target price reduced by equities researchers at Mizuho from $3,200.00 to $3,000.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Mizuho’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 3.77% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. DA Davidson decreased their price target on AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Piper Sandler set a $3,500.00 target price on shares of AutoZone in a report on Monday, August 31st. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AutoZone in a research report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,500.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,345.00 to $4,096.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,788.12.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $2,891.00 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization 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. AutoZone has a 1 year low of $2,796.85 and a 1 year high of $4,332.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $2,986.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3,205.00.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm 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%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $48.71 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone will post 150.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoZone

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $713,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its position in shares of AutoZone by 33,193.5% in the 2nd quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 15,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,946,000 after acquiring an additional 15,269 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in AutoZone during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,808,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in AutoZone in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,287,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $233,576,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Key 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

AutoZone Company Profile

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.