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AutoZone Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Strong Sales Growth
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Key Takeaways
AutoZone beat Q3 EPS estimates as sales rose 8.4% and domestic comps increased 4.1%.
AZO's commercial sales climbed 10.4%, aided by better inventory and faster delivery execution.
AutoZone opened 82 stores globally and repurchased $586.3 million of shares in Q3.
AutoZone, Inc. (AZO - Free Report) posted third-quarter fiscal 2026 (ended May 9, 2026) earnings per share of $38.07, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $36.18 by 5.2%. Earnings per share rose 7.7% from $35.36 a year ago.
The company’s net sales increased 8.4% year over year to $4.84 billion, but fell short of the consensus mark of $4.86 billion by about 0.5%. Domestic same-store sales increased 4.1% in the quarter, led by strong commercial momentum.
AZO’s Sales Growth Accelerates on Commercial Momentum
In the reported quarter, domestic commercial sales totaled $1.4 billion, up from $1.27 billion in the year-ago period. Total sales represented the company’s largest year-over-year growth in more than three years, reflecting faster top-line momentum versus the first half of fiscal 2026. Total company same-store sales rose 3.9% on a constant-currency basis, supported by a 4.1% domestic comp and a 1.6% international comp on the same basis.
The mix of growth also leaned favorably. Domestic do-it-yourself sales rose 2.2% in the quarter, while domestic commercial sales increased 10.4%. The commercial outperformance was driven by better inventory availability at satellite stores, broader Hub and Mega-Hub coverage, and continued gains tied to service speed and delivery improvements.
AutoZone’s Profitability Reflects LIFO and Mix Pressure
Gross profit rose to $2.52 billion from $2.35 billion in the prior-year quarter. Gross profit margin was 52.2%, down 57 basis points from the year-ago period. A $20 million non-cash LIFO charge in the quarter, which contrasted with a $16 million LIFO credit in the prior-year quarter, weighed on the year-over-year margin comparison.
Operating profit increased 6.6% to $923.8 million. Operating expenses were 33.1% of sales versus 33.3% last year, indicating modest leverage despite the faster store growth cadence. Net income rose to $641.5 million from $608.4 million a year ago.
AZO’s Store Growth Push Builds Scale Across Regions
AutoZone continued to add stores at a faster pace. During the quarter, it opened 82 new stores globally, including 57 in the United States, 20 in Mexico and five in Brazil. Total store count ended at 7,856, consisting of 6,766 in the United States, 933 in Mexico and 157 in Brazil.
The company continues to expand its commercial footprint. Mega-Hubs acted as a key driver of improved parts availability, as these locations typically carry a significantly broader SKU count and can lift both commercial and retail demand by shortening delivery times in local markets.
AutoZone’s Capital Returns Remain a Key Feature
Share repurchases stayed sizable in the quarter. AutoZone bought back 164,000 shares for $586.3 million at an average price of $3,582 per share, ending the period with $0.8 billion remaining under its current authorization.
Liquidity remained solid alongside a leveraged balance sheet structure typical of the company’s capital strategy. Cash and cash equivalents were $253.7 million as of May 9, 2026, while total debt stood at $9.02 billion, down from $8.8 billion as of May 10, 2025. The company reported a leverage ratio of 2.5x EBITDAR.
AZO’s Inventory Position Tracks Growth and Inflation
Inventory continued to build as the company invests to support growth initiatives and new stores. Merchandise inventories rose 10.8% year over year to $7.56 billion. Inventory per store increased to $962,000 from $908,000 in the year-ago quarter.
Net inventory, defined as merchandise inventory less accounts payable, remained negative on a per-store basis. Net inventory per store was negative $107,000 compared with negative $142,000 last year, while accounts payable as a percentage of inventory was 111.1% compared with 115.6% a year ago.
AutoZone’s Q4 Commentary Centers on Inflation and LIFO
The company expects inflation and ticket growth to moderate in the fourth quarter versus the third quarter, with commentary pointing to a mid-4% range for ticket trends as the company laps higher inflation from the prior year. It also expects a planned non-cash LIFO charge of approximately $30 million for the fourth quarter, which would pressure gross margin and earnings per share versus a more favorable prior-year LIFO comparison.
The company expects weather-related softness late in the quarter, affecting certain heat-driven categories, while reiterating confidence in summer performance given ongoing execution initiatives. Internationally, the company expects a softer macro environment in Mexico and Brazil, with expectations for constant-currency same-store sales in a range similar to the third quarter.
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (AAP - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2026 results on May 21. It delivered adjusted earnings of 77 cents per share in the first quarter of 2026, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 39 cents by 95.2%. The company had incurred an adjusted loss of 22 cents in the year-ago quarter. Net sales were $2.61 billion, which increased 1.2% year over year and came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.56 billion by 2.1%. Comparable store sales increased 3.5% in the quarter, marking the strongest quarterly comp in five years.
As of April 25, 2026, AAP had $2.96 billion in cash and cash equivalents, down from $3.12 billion as of Jan. 3, 2026. Inventories rose to $3.82 billion from $3.65 billion as of Jan, 3, 2026, reflecting higher investment in availability. Long-term debt stood at $3.41 billion.
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2026 results on April 29. It reported adjusted EPS of 72 cents, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 69 cents by 4.18%. The bottom line increased from 62 cents in the prior-year quarter. The automotive parts retailer registered quarterly revenues of $4.56 billion, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.47 billion by 2.1%. The top line also rose 10.2% year over year.
The quarter was driven by strong demand, with comparable store sales rising 8.1%. Growth in both the professional and DIY segments, along with careful cost control, supported the overall performance. The company opened 59 stores in the United States, Mexico and Canada in the first quarter. The total store count was 6,644 as of March 31, 2026.
Genuine Parts Company (GPC - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2026 results on April 21. It posted adjusted earnings of $1.77 per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.81 by 1.94%. The bottom line improved 1.1% from the year-ago quarter’s adjusted earnings of $1.75 per share.
The company posted revenues of $6.27 billion, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.17 billion by 1.5% and increased 6.8% year over year. The performance was driven by solid sales growth across business segments and a 20-basis-point improvement in gross margin to 37.3%.
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AutoZone Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Strong Sales Growth
Key Takeaways
AutoZone, Inc. (AZO - Free Report) posted third-quarter fiscal 2026 (ended May 9, 2026) earnings per share of $38.07, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $36.18 by 5.2%. Earnings per share rose 7.7% from $35.36 a year ago.
The company’s net sales increased 8.4% year over year to $4.84 billion, but fell short of the consensus mark of $4.86 billion by about 0.5%. Domestic same-store sales increased 4.1% in the quarter, led by strong commercial momentum.
AutoZone, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
AutoZone, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | AutoZone, Inc. Quote
AZO’s Sales Growth Accelerates on Commercial Momentum
In the reported quarter, domestic commercial sales totaled $1.4 billion, up from $1.27 billion in the year-ago period. Total sales represented the company’s largest year-over-year growth in more than three years, reflecting faster top-line momentum versus the first half of fiscal 2026. Total company same-store sales rose 3.9% on a constant-currency basis, supported by a 4.1% domestic comp and a 1.6% international comp on the same basis.
The mix of growth also leaned favorably. Domestic do-it-yourself sales rose 2.2% in the quarter, while domestic commercial sales increased 10.4%. The commercial outperformance was driven by better inventory availability at satellite stores, broader Hub and Mega-Hub coverage, and continued gains tied to service speed and delivery improvements.
AutoZone’s Profitability Reflects LIFO and Mix Pressure
Gross profit rose to $2.52 billion from $2.35 billion in the prior-year quarter. Gross profit margin was 52.2%, down 57 basis points from the year-ago period. A $20 million non-cash LIFO charge in the quarter, which contrasted with a $16 million LIFO credit in the prior-year quarter, weighed on the year-over-year margin comparison.
Operating profit increased 6.6% to $923.8 million. Operating expenses were 33.1% of sales versus 33.3% last year, indicating modest leverage despite the faster store growth cadence. Net income rose to $641.5 million from $608.4 million a year ago.
AZO’s Store Growth Push Builds Scale Across Regions
AutoZone continued to add stores at a faster pace. During the quarter, it opened 82 new stores globally, including 57 in the United States, 20 in Mexico and five in Brazil. Total store count ended at 7,856, consisting of 6,766 in the United States, 933 in Mexico and 157 in Brazil.
The company continues to expand its commercial footprint. Mega-Hubs acted as a key driver of improved parts availability, as these locations typically carry a significantly broader SKU count and can lift both commercial and retail demand by shortening delivery times in local markets.
AutoZone’s Capital Returns Remain a Key Feature
Share repurchases stayed sizable in the quarter. AutoZone bought back 164,000 shares for $586.3 million at an average price of $3,582 per share, ending the period with $0.8 billion remaining under its current authorization.
Liquidity remained solid alongside a leveraged balance sheet structure typical of the company’s capital strategy. Cash and cash equivalents were $253.7 million as of May 9, 2026, while total debt stood at $9.02 billion, down from $8.8 billion as of May 10, 2025. The company reported a leverage ratio of 2.5x EBITDAR.
AZO’s Inventory Position Tracks Growth and Inflation
Inventory continued to build as the company invests to support growth initiatives and new stores. Merchandise inventories rose 10.8% year over year to $7.56 billion. Inventory per store increased to $962,000 from $908,000 in the year-ago quarter.
Net inventory, defined as merchandise inventory less accounts payable, remained negative on a per-store basis. Net inventory per store was negative $107,000 compared with negative $142,000 last year, while accounts payable as a percentage of inventory was 111.1% compared with 115.6% a year ago.
AutoZone’s Q4 Commentary Centers on Inflation and LIFO
The company expects inflation and ticket growth to moderate in the fourth quarter versus the third quarter, with commentary pointing to a mid-4% range for ticket trends as the company laps higher inflation from the prior year. It also expects a planned non-cash LIFO charge of approximately $30 million for the fourth quarter, which would pressure gross margin and earnings per share versus a more favorable prior-year LIFO comparison.
The company expects weather-related softness late in the quarter, affecting certain heat-driven categories, while reiterating confidence in summer performance given ongoing execution initiatives. Internationally, the company expects a softer macro environment in Mexico and Brazil, with expectations for constant-currency same-store sales in a range similar to the third quarter.
AZO currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Peer Releases
Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (AAP - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2026 results on May 21. It delivered adjusted earnings of 77 cents per share in the first quarter of 2026, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 39 cents by 95.2%. The company had incurred an adjusted loss of 22 cents in the year-ago quarter. Net sales were $2.61 billion, which increased 1.2% year over year and came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.56 billion by 2.1%. Comparable store sales increased 3.5% in the quarter, marking the strongest quarterly comp in five years.
As of April 25, 2026, AAP had $2.96 billion in cash and cash equivalents, down from $3.12 billion as of Jan. 3, 2026. Inventories rose to $3.82 billion from $3.65 billion as of Jan, 3, 2026, reflecting higher investment in availability. Long-term debt stood at $3.41 billion.
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2026 results on April 29. It reported adjusted EPS of 72 cents, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 69 cents by 4.18%. The bottom line increased from 62 cents in the prior-year quarter. The automotive parts retailer registered quarterly revenues of $4.56 billion, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.47 billion by 2.1%. The top line also rose 10.2% year over year.
The quarter was driven by strong demand, with comparable store sales rising 8.1%. Growth in both the professional and DIY segments, along with careful cost control, supported the overall performance. The company opened 59 stores in the United States, Mexico and Canada in the first quarter. The total store count was 6,644 as of March 31, 2026.
Genuine Parts Company (GPC - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2026 results on April 21. It posted adjusted earnings of $1.77 per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.81 by 1.94%. The bottom line improved 1.1% from the year-ago quarter’s adjusted earnings of $1.75 per share.
The company posted revenues of $6.27 billion, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.17 billion by 1.5% and increased 6.8% year over year. The performance was driven by solid sales growth across business segments and a 20-basis-point improvement in gross margin to 37.3%.