Wedbush Brokers Lower Earnings Estimates for AutoZone

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) – Wedbush dropped 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 earn $39.25 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $40.18. Wedbush has a “Outperform” rating and a $3,200.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for AutoZone’s current full-year earnings is $154.29 per share.

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

AZO has been the subject of several other research reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price on AutoZone from $3,501.00 to $3,753.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on AutoZone from $3,340.00 to $3,500.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com lowered AutoZone from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of AutoZone from $3,450.00 to $3,750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AutoZone from $3,500.00 to $3,900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3,360.47.

AutoZone Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:AZO opened at $3,370.27 on Monday. AutoZone has a 12 month low of $2,510.00 and a 12 month high of $3,416.71. The company has a market capitalization of $56.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $3,155.07 and its 200 day moving average is $3,069.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman William C. Rhodes III sold 13,000 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,107.15, for a total value of $40,392,950.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 13,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $43,055,777.55. The trade was a 48.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP John Scott Murphy sold 1,580 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,785,166.42. The trade was a 56.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,880 shares of company stock worth $46,225,660 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in AutoZone in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in AutoZone by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 15 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in AutoZone during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in AutoZone by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 20 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 4 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.