The stock split is back in fashion. Yet a small club of high-priced names has refused to play along for decades, even as peers embrace splits to court retail investors.
AutoZone, Inc. reported strong EPS but missed on revenue and experienced gross margin contraction, prompting a cautious Hold rating despite the recent price drop. AZO benefits from the aging U.S. vehicle fleet and ongoing store expansion but faces weak DIY traffic and inflation-driven margin pressures. Commercial sales growth is robust, yet this segment carries lower margins, contributing to recent profitability headwinds and a mixed outlook.
Shares of AutoZone are on track for their worst trading day in more than six years. That's despite the retailer reporting earnings per share of $38.07 for its latest fiscal quarter that ended May 9, beating the $36.28 expected by average estimates compiled by LSEG.
AutoZone NYSE: AZO is a buy-and-hold quality stock nearly beyond compare. The company's management, strategy, market position, market trends, operational quality, cash flow, and capital returns are a recipe for ever-growing value, as reflected in the long-term price action.
AutoZone, Inc. (AZO) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
AutoZone, Inc. remains a long-term compounder despite recent margin pressure, slower EPS growth, and a pullback to $3,000. AZO's Q3 saw record sales of $4.84 billion (+8.5% YoY), positive comps, and EPS of $38.07, but gross margin fell 57 bps to 52.2%. Buybacks remain a key value driver, with 164,000 shares repurchased this quarter and only 16.4 million shares outstanding.
AutoZone NYSE: AZO reported stronger fiscal third-quarter sales growth as management pointed to gains in its commercial business, new store openings and expanded parts availability, while noting that mild late-quarter weather weighed on demand in some seasonal categories.
Autozone Inc (NYSE:AZO) reported fiscal third quarter earnings that topped Wall Street expectations, but revenue came in slightly below forecasts, sending the company's shares down more than 10% in early trade on Tuesday. The auto parts retailer posted adjusted earnings per share of $38.07 for the quarter ended May 9, ahead of the consensus estimate of $36.22.
Although the revenue and EPS for AutoZone (AZO) give a sense of how its business performed in the quarter ended May 2026, it might be worth considering how some key metrics compare with Wall Street estimates and the year-ago numbers.
AutoZone reported higher fiscal third-quarter sales boosted primarily by growth in the company's domestic business.
Wall Street is rediscovering the stock-split playbook. KLA (NASDAQ: KLAC | KLAC Price Prediction) announced a 10-for-1 forward stock split in May 2026 alongside a fiscal Q3 earnings beat and a roughly 21% dividend hike, with shares trading near the $1,800 range.
AutoZone (AZO) might move higher on growing optimism about its earnings prospects, which is reflected by its upgrade to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).