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AutoZone (AZO) Outperforms Broader Market: What You Need to Know

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AutoZone (AZO - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $3,228.40, demonstrating a +1.08% swing from the preceding day's closing price. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 1%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.78%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 1.51%.

The auto parts retailer's shares have seen a decrease of 0.66% over the last month, surpassing the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 3.58% and the S&P 500's loss of 2.14%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of AutoZone in its upcoming earnings disclosure. On that day, AutoZone is projected to report earnings of $29.16 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 0.93%. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $3.98 billion, indicating a 3.13% upward movement from the same quarter last year.

For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $153.09 per share and a revenue of $18.79 billion, signifying shifts of +4.76% and +1.63%, respectively, from the last year.

Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for AutoZone. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.32% decrease. AutoZone is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Investors should also note AutoZone's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 20.86. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 23.55, so one might conclude that AutoZone is trading at a discount comparatively.

We can also see that AZO currently has a PEG ratio of 1.76. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Automotive - Retail and Wholesale - Parts was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.76 at yesterday's closing price.

The Automotive - Retail and Wholesale - Parts industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 23, this industry ranks in the top 10% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.


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