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AutoZone (AZO)
NYSEConsumer DiscretionaryAuto PartsSnapshot 2026-06-16
Intact
$3126.88+0.69%
Close 2026-06-16 · 1-day change
Recent financial performance is holding in the top half of its industry — the reason to own it looks intact.
The bottom line
Recent financial performance is neutral, and earnings quality is fragile, indicating that reported profits are not well backed by cash. Management's recent track record has been fairly steady, and the company has a capital-friendly stance. Risk is moderate, and the sector backdrop is a headwind, which could impact performance compared with sector peers, where it is typical. Peer multiples imply a price about 16% below where it trades (it looks expensive on this basis); the read is fair, but weakening. This assessment is provisional.
as of 2026-06-16
Quick facts
- Exchange
- NYSE
- Sector
- Consumer Discretionary
- Industry
- Auto Parts
- Market cap
- $51.01B
- Employees
- 130,000
- IPO date
- 1996-05-20
- Next earnings
- —
Price
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Adjusted daily closes (split & dividend). Scroll over the chart to zoom; click a range to reset.
EarningsMaterial event
What's priced in
(what the market already expects)What it's worth (estimated)
A consensus fair price across 8 valuation methods, at three horizons. Current price $3126.88. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
12-month· primaryfull
$2705.06consensus
Range $2267.43 – $3128.93
vs price: +16% above
Method agreement — · 8 methods
No-growth: today's peer multiple on trailing earnings. The headline read.
3-yearfair
$4154.20consensus
Range $1986.74 – $4789.39
vs price: -25% below
Method agreement — · 6 methods
Embeds projected growth. Leans optimistic by design. Upside context.
5-yearinexpensive
How much to trust our fair value
We take the 12-month fair value above and grade our own number — how the market prices this name versus what we'd justify, and where the two diverge.
Aligned with peerslow confidence
At $3,105 AZO trades at 21× p/e, in line with its 19× p/e peer median. Our $2,694 fair value reflects that, low confidence. Analysts: $3,200–$4,800. Not investment advice.
Multiple (P/E)
21.3x
peer 18.5x · own history 21.4x
Premium
1.2x peer
1.0x its own history
Growth the price needs
15%
our forecast 6%
Our fair value
$2694.20
range $2537.77 – $3107.74
Analyst range(a guide on our number, not a target)Our number is below the analyst range
How this stock is priced
One valuation read at a 12-month horizon, plus how price compares to peers and the company's own history.
Long-term · 1–3 yr
fullfair — but weakening12-month view
What's priced inJustified
The market is pricing in roughly 15% near-term growth, in line with our forecast of about 6%. This describes what's priced in, not a forecast of the move.
Low fragilityrisk posture, not a price call
Only weak execution quality — not the full expensive x weak x turbulent stack.
Historical context
For similar setups historically (n=20,154): about 33% saw a 20%+ drawdown, and roughly 76% of those did not recover within the year. These are historical base rates for the cohort, not a forecast of this stock.
How strong is the business
(quality & execution)Factor signals
Each factor is a parallel diagnostic with a clear read of what it shows and how names like it have historically fared. Never aggregated into a single score.
Recent financial performance
neutralOperating income rose in 1 of the last 3 quarter-over-quarter moves. Historically, Consumer Discretionary names rated neutral grew net income 48% of the time over the next year (vs 64% for the rest of the cohort, n=3804).
67th pctl · Consumer Discretionary
Earnings quality
fragileOver the trailing year it converted 1.24x of net income into operating cash flow. Historically, Consumer Discretionary names rated fragile grew net income 45% of the time over the next year (vs 58% for the rest of the cohort, n=2427).
30th pctl · Consumer Discretionary
Macro sensitivity
Not enough signal yet.
Not enough signal to read sensitivity to the US dollar, the broad stock market, real (inflation-adjusted) rates, long-term interest rates, Fed net liquidity.
Management & capital allocation
neutral11 material management or governance events in the past 24 months, led by capital-allocation actions. Historically, Consumer Discretionary names rated neutral grew net income 54% of the time over the next year (vs 57% for the rest of the cohort, n=646).
Earnings setup & market context
The next print and the backdrop around it (sector regime and the AI cycle). Context for the path, not a forecast of returns.
Earnings setup · pre-print positioning
forward-looking
Bullish9 PT revisions / 30d, avg 21.5% above currentfor period ending 2026-08-31
Why this setup
Consensus revisions
EPS estimate $0.00 → $54.52. 8 raised, 9 cut, 20 covering analysts.
Rating actions
0 upgrades, 0 downgrades / 30d, 12 maintained. 85% of analysts rate Buy.
Price target activity
9 PT revisions / 30d. Avg target 21.5% above current price.
Material events
0 positive, 0 negative / 30d.
Sector context
Intermediate · WeeklySector phase: consumer discretionary is in (~0.2 years in phase).
Management scorecard
How management runs the business: capital, margins, balance sheet, and how reliably they guide and deliver.
Long-term · 1–3 yr
Overall: neutral
- Capital allocation
- neutral
- Earnings discipline
- neutral
- Margin discipline
- neutral
- Balance sheet
- strong
- Post-call reaction
- strong
A guidance track record builds as the company issues and delivers on guidance.
as of 2026-06-15
How bumpy is the path
(risk while you hold it)Risk: how this stock moves
What a normal day, a bad day, and the worst of the last year would mean for a $10,000 position.
Intermediate · WeeklyLong-term · 1–3 yr
On a typical day, $10k can swing ±$127.
How much price usually moves either way.
On a bad day, this stock has moved -$272.
A rough but not unusual down day (about the 95th percentile).
In the worst 12 months, $10k could have lost $3,259.
Deepest peak-to-trough drop in the last year.
moderateas of 2026-06-16
Past results, not a forecast. Not investment advice.
What would change the read
(catalysts & re-read triggers)What changed
The most important moves since the prior daily snapshot.
Short-term · Daily
- No material changes since the prior snapshot.
The signal changed to mixed. Risk fell. The sector backdrop remains a headwind. Earnings quality is fragile, indicating potential challenges in financial performance.
as of 2026-06-16
What to watch next
Specific, dated things to watch for, each with what would confirm it and what would prove it wrong.
Intermediate · Weekly
- DownsideHigh confidenceQuartersactive 4d
Watch for Q3 same store sales growth below 3.9%
Why it matters: Same store sales growth is key for AutoZone's performance. A drop below 3.9% could signal weakening demand.
What confirms / what disproves
Confirms:Q3 same store sales growth reported below 3.9%.
Disproves:Q3 same store sales growth reported at or above 3.9%.
Earnings call
News catalysts
Recent news graded against this company's own objectives — whether it reinforces or challenges the thesis, and how confirmed it is.
- 2026-06-1611h agoMarkets Insider
Advances: Share repurchase program
Increases shareholder value through capital allocation.
Strongly reinforcesConfirmed
This sector is also watching
- Watch for June retail sales growth to turn positive
What could change this view
Conditional scenarios: if X happens, the view would shift in this direction. These are not predictions.
Intermediate · Weekly
Upside triggers
- If sector bellwethers like ORLY, MOD, and BWA keep beating earnings and guiding higher, the Consumer Discretionary sector momentum should keep lifting AZO and other Consumer Discretionary names. Worth watching these names for early signals.
- If AZO raises forward guidance on the next earnings call (currently NEW as of 2026-05-26), that's a momentum boost. Street estimates typically follow guidance up and the stock tends to re-rate higher.
Downside triggers
- If AZO cuts guidance on the next call (currently NEW as of 2026-05-26), that's a meaningful negative. The Street tends to walk down estimates and the stock usually takes a leg lower.
- If sector bellwethers like ORLY, MOD, and BWA start missing or guiding lower, the Consumer Discretionary tailwind helping AZO and other Consumer Discretionary names could fade. Watch these names for early warning.
- If GDP growth slows materially from the current 2.6% (say, below 2%), it hits AZO and other Consumer Discretionary names harder than the average stock, since the sector is growth-sensitive.
Recent events
(material 8-K / filing activity)Material updates
Recent SEC 8-K filings ranked by likely impact, confidence, and recency.
- 2026-05-2622d agoItem 2.02
Results of Operations and Financial Condition. On May 26, 2026, AutoZone, Inc. issued a press release announcing its earnings for the fiscal quarter ended May 9, 2026 which is furnished as Exhibit 99.1.
Earnings preannouncementneutral
Score history
Whether the overall read has been drifting up or down lately, and how it's changed since last week.
+9.0 vs last weeklatest as of 2026-06-17
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.