DA Davidson Reaffirms “Neutral” Rating for AutoZone (NYSE:AZO)

DA Davidson reissued their neutral rating on shares of AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) in a report published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $3,025.00 price target on the stock. DA Davidson also issued estimates for AutoZone’s Q1 2025 earnings at $32.04 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $182.46 EPS.

AZO has been the topic of several other reports. BNP Paribas raised shares of AutoZone to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Citigroup dropped their price target 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. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,900.00 to $3,350.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,280.00 to $3,350.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,394.00 to $3,341.00 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 given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $3,169.38.

AutoZone Stock Down 0.5 %

AutoZone stock opened at $3,066.92 on Monday. AutoZone has a twelve month low of $2,375.35 and a twelve month high of $3,256.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $3,134.02 and a 200-day moving average of $3,012.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.39 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.71.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, September 24th. The company reported $48.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $53.31 by ($5.20). AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 54.58% and a net margin of 14.60%. The business had revenue of $6.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $46.46 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that AutoZone will post 151.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.69, for a total transaction of $4,910,150.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoZone

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AZO. PineStone Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in AutoZone by 137.6% during the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 310,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,998,000 after buying an additional 179,543 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $424,000. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 564.2% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 152,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,338,000 after purchasing an additional 129,193 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 2,714.8% in the 2nd quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 120,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $356,267,000 after purchasing an additional 115,924 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 106.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 117,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $371,552,000 after purchasing an additional 60,852 shares in the last quarter. 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.