AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) Given New $4,300.00 Price Target at Citigroup

by · The Markets Daily

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO – Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at Citigroup from $4,200.00 to $4,300.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup’s price objective points to a potential upside of 16.41% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wolfe Research lowered AutoZone from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,811.00 to $4,268.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Roth Mkm lowered their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,650.00 to $4,526.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,500.00 to $4,100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,800.00 to $4,600.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,279.00.

Read Our Latest Research Report on AutoZone

AutoZone Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE AZO traded up $56.80 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $3,693.97. 10,109 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 166,450. The stock has a market cap of $61.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $3,607.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $3,825.54. AutoZone has a 52 week low of $3,210.72 and a 52 week high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $27.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $27.59 by $0.04. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.78% and a negative return on equity of 65.38%. The company had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $28.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoZone will post 152.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other AutoZone news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,295.00, for a total transaction of $823,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,887 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,102,665. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael A. George acquired 145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $3,398.13 per share, for a total transaction of $492,728.85. Following the transaction, the director owned 566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,341.58. The trade was a 34.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 347 shares of company stock worth $1,179,256 and sold 9,447 shares worth $34,179,923. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoZone

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in AutoZone by 1.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,797,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,711,912,000 after buying an additional 26,544 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AutoZone by 371,123.0% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 935,482 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,472,724,000 after acquiring an additional 935,230 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 714,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,650,870,000 after acquiring an additional 11,088 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of AutoZone by 17.8% in the fourth 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. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 1.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 444,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,649,228,000 after purchasing an additional 8,187 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoZone News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Small EPS beat and revenue growth: AutoZone reported EPS of $27.63, slightly above consensus, and total net sales rose ~8.1% year-over-year, showing underlying demand. MarketBeat Earnings
  • Positive Sentiment: Same-store sales improvement: Total company same-store sales increased ~3.3% (domestic ~3.4%), indicating continued traffic and resiliency in core retail operations. GlobeNewswire Release
  • Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: DA Davidson kept a Buy rating while trimming its price target (from $4,500 to $4,100), signaling some analysts view the pullback as a buying opportunity. MarketScreener
  • Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and call details: The earnings call/transcript reviewed operational drivers and margin dynamics; useful for longer‑term positioning but did not materially change near-term outlook. Seeking Alpha Transcript
  • Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations: Net sales of ~$4.27B came in below the ~ $4.31B analyst consensus, which investors view as a key miss given AutoZone’s size and recent growth run. Yahoo Finance Sales Report
  • Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure and profit decline: Company cited inflationary headwinds and margin compression; second-quarter profit fell and net margin weakened, a major driver of investor concern about near-term profitability. Reuters
  • Negative Sentiment: Operational headwinds and market reaction: Winter storms were called out as a sales headwind and investors sold off sharply after the revenue miss and margin commentary (coverage notes report a ~9% intraday drop), amplifying the stock decline. WSJ

AutoZone Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

See Also