AutoZone Q1 Earnings Miss Expectations, Revenues Rise Y/Y

AutoZone Inc. AZO reported earnings of $32.52 per share for the first quarter of fiscal 2025 (ended Nov. 23, 2024), which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $33.54. The company reported earnings of $32.55 per share in the corresponding quarter of fiscal 2024. Net sales grew 2.1% year over year to $4.28 billion. The top line, however, missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.29 billion.Stay up-to-date with the quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.In the reported quarter, domestic commercial sales totaled $1.13 billion, up from $1.09 billion recorded in the year-ago period. Domestic same-store sales (sales at stores open at least for a year) were up 0.3%.Gross profit increased to $2.27 billion from the prior-year quarter’s $2.21 billion. Operating profit decreased 0.8% year over year to $841 million.AutoZone, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise AutoZone, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | AutoZone, Inc. QuoteStore Opening & InventoryDuring the quarter, AutoZone opened 23 new stores in the United States. It opened six new stores in Mexico and five in Brazil. It exited the quarter with 6,455 stores in the United States, 800 in Mexico and 132 in Brazil. The total store count was 7,387 as of Nov. 23, 2024.Its inventory increased 8.7% year over year in the reported quarter. At quarter-end, the inventory per store was $849,000 compared with $806,000 a year ago.Financials and Share RepurchasesAs of Nov. 23, 2024, AutoZone had cash and cash equivalents of $304 million, up from $298.2 million as of Aug. 31, 2024. Its total debt amounted to $9.01 billion as of Nov. 23, 2024, compared with $9.02 billion as of Aug. 31, 2024.The company repurchased 160,000 shares of its common stock for $505.2 million during the fiscal first quarter at an average price of $3,156 per share. At quarter-end, it had $1.7 billion remaining under its current share repurchase authorization.AZO’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksAutoZone currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).Some better-ranked stocks in the auto space are Dorman Products, Inc. DORM, Tesla, Inc. TSLA and Blue Bird Corporation BLBD, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DORM’s 2024 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 3.66% and 51.98%, respectively. EPS estimates for 2024 and 2025 have improved 75 cents and 88 cents, respectively, in the past 60 days.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TSLA’s 2024 sales suggests year-over-year growth of 2.97%. EPS estimates for 2024 have improved 22 cents in the past 60 days. EPS estimates for 2025 have improved 7 cents in the past seven days.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLBD’s fiscal 2025 sales and earnings suggests year-over-year growth of 10.97% and 12.14%, respectively. EPS estimates for fiscal 2025 have improved 18 cents in the past 30 days.Zacks Naming Top 10 Stocks for 2025Want to be tipped off early to our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2025?History suggests their performance could be sensational.From 2012 (when our Director of Research Sheraz Mian assumed responsibility for the portfolio) through November, 2024, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,112.6%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +475.6%. Now Sheraz is combing through 4,400 companies to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2025. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these stocks when they’re released on January 2.Be First to New Top 10 Stocks >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AutoZone, Inc. (AZO): Free Stock Analysis Report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report Dorman Products, Inc. (DORM): Free Stock Analysis Report Blue Bird Corporation (BLBD): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks