AutoZone, Inc. $AZO Shares Sold by Toth Financial Advisory Corp

Toth Financial Advisory Corp cut its stake in AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,295 shares of the company’s stock after selling 371 shares during the quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $6,222,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of AutoZone during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 150.0% during the 1st quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 10 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the period. Tacita Capital Inc acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Burkett Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,750.00 to $3,500.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,817.00 to $3,648.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of 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, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,637.00 to $3,400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AutoZone currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $3,669.12.

AutoZone Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE AZO traded up $64.10 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $2,910.37. 45,297 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 264,104. AutoZone, Inc. has a 1-year low of $2,730.65 and a 1-year high of $4,146.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $2,949.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,149.16. The company has a market cap of $47.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.40.

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

AutoZone declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, June 16th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, VP Dennis LeRiche sold 1,455 shares of the firm’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 owned 441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,367,100. This trade represents a 76.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about AutoZone

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 long-term earnings outlook and potentially providing support for the shares. Bernstein upgrades AutoZone stock to Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks initiated a FY2029 EPS forecast of $220.60 and projects FY2028 EPS of $190.08, indicating expected earnings growth over the longer term despite near-term estimate reductions.
• Positive Sentiment: A reported average analyst price target of approximately $3,669 remains well above the recent trading level, suggesting substantial potential upside if the company meets longer-term expectations. AutoZone Stock Has Average Price Target of $3,669.12
• Neutral Sentiment: The analyst outlook is divided: Bernstein’s bullish rating contrasts with Zacks’ lower quarterly and annual forecasts, leaving the immediate earnings outlook uncertain.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut EPS estimates across FY2027 and FY2028 to $166.16 and $190.08, respectively, from $174.73 and $197.32. Estimates were also reduced for Q1 2027, Q4 2027, Q1 2028, Q2 2028, and Q4 2028, pointing to weaker expected near-term profitability.
• Negative Sentiment: The revisions may raise concerns about demand, costs, or margin pressure. AutoZone’s shares also remain below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages and well below the 52-week high, indicating that the broader technical trend remains cautious.

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.