Insider Buying: AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) Director Buys $492,855.00 in Stock

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) Director Brian Hannasch purchased 165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The stock was bought at an average price of $2,987.00 per share, with a total value of $492,855.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,641,153. This represents a 15.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

AutoZone Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of AZO opened at $2,936.42 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $3,421.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3,564.57. The company has a market capitalization of $48.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.35. AutoZone, Inc. has a 52-week low of $2,931.65 and a 52-week high of $4,388.11.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $36.22 by $1.85. The firm had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.86 billion. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.40% and a negative return on equity of 77.83%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $35.36 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.54 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on AZO. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,020.00 to $3,605.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,250.00 to $3,700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,400.00 to $4,000.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $4,040.87.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $939,205,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in AutoZone by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 492,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,671,323,000 after buying an additional 74,555 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in AutoZone by 387.1% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 77,792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,832,000 after buying an additional 61,821 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in AutoZone by 39.5% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 176,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,730,000 after buying an additional 50,071 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in AutoZone by 80.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 101,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $432,059,000 after buying an additional 45,212 shares in the last quarter. 92.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting AutoZone

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several brokerages, including Guggenheim and TD Cowen, reiterated bullish ratings on AutoZone, and other analysts still see meaningful upside despite the selloff.
• Positive Sentiment: AutoZone reported 8.4% year-over-year revenue growth and management said commercial momentum remains strong, with plans to open 355 to 365 new locations this fiscal year.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst updates lowered price targets, including moves from Jefferies and BNP Paribas Exane, but both firms kept positive ratings, signaling reduced optimism rather than a bearish call.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary suggests investors are weighing whether the post-earnings decline has created a buying opportunity or whether the stock could fall further from current levels.
• Negative Sentiment: AutoZone’s latest results fell short of revenue expectations, which triggered the stock’s decline as investors focused on the miss rather than the EPS beat. Article: Why AutoZone Stock Slumped This Week
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports say the stock is sliding because investors are concerned that late-quarter softness may point to slowing momentum, despite management’s explanation that weather impacted results.

About AutoZone

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.