Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Lowers Position in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. trimmed its position in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 18.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,030 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,897 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. owned 0.10% of AutoZone worth $57,758,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of AutoZone by 17.8% in the 4th 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 during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of AutoZone by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 387,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,312,654,000 after purchasing an additional 7,390 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of AutoZone during the 4th quarter worth $939,205,000. PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AutoZone by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 269,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $912,900,000 after purchasing an additional 3,868 shares during the period. Finally, First Manhattan CO. LLC. grew its position in AutoZone by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. First Manhattan CO. LLC. now owns 261,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $886,246,000 after buying an additional 6,765 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.74% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on AutoZone from $4,478.00 to $3,979.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Roth Mkm cut their price objective on AutoZone from $4,526.00 to $4,023.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on 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. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of AutoZone from $4,300.00 to $3,750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of AutoZone from $4,020.00 to $3,605.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoZone has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $4,040.87.

AutoZone Stock Performance

NYSE AZO opened at $3,064.22 on Friday. AutoZone, Inc. has a one year low of $2,928.11 and a one year high of $4,388.11. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $3,333.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $3,484.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.35.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $36.22 by $1.85. The company had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. AutoZone had a negative return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 12.40%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $35.36 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoZone declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, June 16th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at AutoZone

In other news, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,826,568.64. This trade represents a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Brian Hannasch bought 165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $2,987.00 per share, with a total value of $492,855.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,641,153. This represents a 15.65% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

More AutoZone News

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoZone this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted AutoZone’s FY2026 EPS estimate to $151.37 from $150.59, slightly above the current consensus, suggesting steady near-term earnings strength.
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also raised FY2027 EPS to $174.73, Q4 2027 EPS to $61.70, and FY2028 EPS to $197.32, pointing to continued long-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Several quarterly estimates were increased, including Q1 2027, Q4 2026, Q1 2028, Q2 2028, and Q3 2028, reinforcing the view that analysts see AutoZone delivering stronger-than-expected results over time.
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the optimistic estimate revisions, the stock remains well below its 52-week high, so investor sentiment may still be tempered by valuation and broader market positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed one estimate — Q2 2027 EPS was lowered to $32.61 from $32.78 — which is a small offset to the otherwise positive revisions.

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.