AutoZone (AZO) Increases Despite Market Slip: Here's What You Need to Know

Group 1: Company Performance - AutoZone's stock closed at $3,372.82, showing a +1.21% change from the previous day's closing price, outperforming the S&P 500 which fell by 1.46% [1] - The stock has increased by 2.8% over the past month, surpassing the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 2.27% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.08% [1] Group 2: Financial Projections - AutoZone's projected earnings per share (EPS) for the upcoming release is$ 29.11, indicating a 0.76% increase from the same quarter last year, with expected revenue of $3.98 billion, a 3.13% increase year-over-year [2] - For the entire fiscal year, earnings are projected at$ 152.94 per share and revenue at $18.79 billion, reflecting changes of +4.65% and +1.63% respectively from the prior year [3] Group 3: Analyst Estimates and Rankings - Recent analyst estimate revisions indicate optimism about AutoZone's business and profitability, with a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [5][3] - The Zacks Rank system has a strong track record, with 1 stocks averaging a +25% annual return since 1988 [5] Group 4: Valuation Metrics - AutoZone is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 21.79, which is lower than the industry average of 24.18, suggesting a comparative discount [6] - The company has a PEG ratio of 1.84, aligning with the industry average, which also indicates a balanced valuation considering expected earnings growth [7] Group 5: Industry Context - The Automotive - Retail and Wholesale - Parts industry ranks in the top 11% of all industries, with a Zacks Industry Rank of 26 [8] - The top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1, indicating a favorable environment for AutoZone within its industry [8]