Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook of AutoZone Q4 Earnings

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for shares of AutoZone in a report issued on Monday, December 23rd. Zacks Research analyst L. Shahu now forecasts that the company will earn $52.95 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $53.90. The consensus estimate for AutoZone’s current full-year earnings is $154.29 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for AutoZone’s Q1 2026 earnings at $37.40 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $37.40 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $40.68 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $56.55 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $172.03 EPS and Q1 2027 earnings at $44.20 EPS.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $33.69 by ($1.17). The business had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 53.89% and a net margin of 14.18%. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $32.55 earnings per share.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on AutoZone from $3,038.00 to $3,125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on AutoZone from $3,501.00 to $3,753.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Capital upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $3,205.00 to $2,917.00 in a research report on Monday, October 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3,384.89.

AutoZone Stock Performance

AutoZone stock opened at $3,283.48 on Wednesday. AutoZone has a twelve month low of $2,510.00 and a twelve month high of $3,416.71. The firm has a market cap of $55.50 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $3,177.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $3,093.61.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now directly owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,055,777.55. This trade represents a 48.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of AutoZone

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in AutoZone by 18.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 44,946 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,717,000 after buying an additional 6,898 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 186.8% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 92,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $292,544,000 after purchasing an additional 60,483 shares during the period. Verde Capital Management bought a new position in shares of AutoZone in the 3rd quarter worth $1,137,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoZone by 592.0% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 9,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,012,000 after purchasing an additional 7,879 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in AutoZone by 44.9% in the third quarter. Asset Advisors Investment Management LLC now owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,286,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About AutoZone

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.