Wedbush Issues Negative Outlook for AutoZone Earnings

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) – Analysts at Wedbush lowered their Q3 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of AutoZone in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, December 11th. Wedbush analyst S. Basham now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $39.25 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $40.18. Wedbush has a “Outperform” rating and a $3,200.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for AutoZone’s current full-year earnings is $154.29 per share.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, December 10th. The company reported $32.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $33.69 by ($1.17). AutoZone had a net margin of 14.18% and a negative return on equity of 53.89%. The company had revenue of $4.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $32.55 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Roth Capital upgraded AutoZone to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,350.00 to $3,600.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,384.89.

AutoZone Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AZO opened at $3,353.67 on Monday. AutoZone has a 1 year low of $2,510.00 and a 1 year high of $3,416.71. The stock has a market cap of $56.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $3,161.08 and a 200 day moving average of $3,073.34.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AutoZone

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone by 39.2% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in AutoZone by 428.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 37 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in AutoZone by 5.3% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 18,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,030,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 20.0% in the second quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $534,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In related news, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was 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 owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. This represents a 56.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 300 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,075.20, for a total transaction of $922,560.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,613,046.40. The trade was a 2.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,880 shares of company stock valued at $46,225,660. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.