Grandfield & Dodd LLC Cuts Holdings in AutoZone, Inc. $AZO

Grandfield & Dodd LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,605 shares of the company’s stock after selling 244 shares during the quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC’s holdings in AutoZone were worth $15,618,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of AZO. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new position in AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in AutoZone during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Newport Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AutoZone during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 92.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoZone

In other news, Director Brian Hannasch purchased 165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $2,987.00 per share, with a total value of $492,855.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,219 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,641,153. This trade represents a 15.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Earl G. Graves, Jr. sold 50 shares of AutoZone stock in a transaction on Friday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3,478.72, for a total transaction of $173,936.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,826,568.64. The trade was a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key AutoZone News

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.

AutoZone Trading Down 2.3%

NYSE AZO opened at $2,936.42 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $3,421.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3,565.71. AutoZone, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2,931.65 and a 12-month high of $4,388.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.43.

AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 26th. The company reported $38.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $36.22 by $1.85. AutoZone had a net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 72.31%. The business had revenue of $4.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.86 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $35.36 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AutoZone, Inc. will post 150.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AZO. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,345.00 to $4,096.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,478.00 to $3,979.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Roth Mkm cut their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,526.00 to $4,023.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of AutoZone from $4,020.00 to $3,605.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AutoZone in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $4,040.87.

AutoZone Company Profile

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.