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AutoZone, Inc. (AZO)

Consumer Cyclical Out of favour

AutoZone keeps cars on the road by selling replacement parts and accessories to both everyday drivers and garage mechanics across thousands of stores.

$3,016.25

Is AutoZone, Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?

The honest version: AutoZone keeps cars on the road by selling replacement parts and accessories to both everyday drivers and garage mechanics across thousands of stores.

No rating · no target price · nothing for sale here
Price-4.2%
Priced in USD - as a UK investor your £ return also moves with the pound-to-dollar exchange rate, on top of the share price itself.
52-week range-18% past year
$3,016.25
Low $2,902.20High $4,388.11
Where today's price sits versus its past year - context, not a signal.
If you had put $1,000 into AutoZone, Inc.
$958-4%

Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.

Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'.
$49.24B
Avg volume: How many shares change hands on a typical day. Higher means it's easy to buy or exit without moving the price.
355.18K
Day range: The lowest and highest price the shares traded at during the latest day.
$2,979.11 – $3,040.15
52-week range: The lowest and highest the shares have traded over the past year - a sense of how wide the swings have been.
$2,902.20 – $4,388.11
P/E ratio: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth.
20.7
Dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
0.0%
Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down.
0.34
How bumpy is it?Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. 0.34
Calm
Wild
Steadier than most

Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.

Why has it been moving?▲ +3% past week · ▼ -18% past year

Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.

The bull case

The shift toward older cars remaining on the road longer drives sustained demand for replacement parts.

The bear case

A massive shift toward electric vehicles drastically reduces the need for traditional engine parts.

What does AutoZone, Inc. do?

Every time a DIY car enthusiast fixes a leaky hose or a local mechanic needs a quick alternator replacement, they hand money over to this giant retailer. That steady stream of cash registers ringing adds up to billions in yearly sales, with a healthy chunk left over as profit. The critical detail to keep an eye on is whether they can keep growing those sales when people feel tighter on cash.

VQGMI
Factor profile

On our factor screen it looks strongest on value and quality, and weakest on income.

Value: How cheap the stock looks versus profits, sales and assets (higher = cheaper). 64Quality: How profitable and financially healthy the company is (higher = stronger). 56Growth: How fast revenue and earnings are growing (higher = faster). 41Momentum: How the share price has been trending recently (higher = stronger recent run). 17Income: The dividend income on offer and how sustainable it looks (higher = more/steadier). 16
Quick checks
What's strong
  • High gross margin indicates strong pricing power on parts.
  • Essential car maintenance needs tend to hold up well during economic dips.
  • Consistent revenue and earnings growth over recent periods.
What to watch
  • Momentum screens low (17/100)
  • Income screens low (16/100)
  • Competition from online retailers and other physical auto parts chains.
  • Potential inflation in the cost of buying and shipping inventory.
  • Long-term threat from electric vehicles requiring fewer replacement parts.

What do AutoZone, Inc.'s numbers mean?

P/E
20.6
This shows how much investors are paying for each pound of current yearly profit.
Forward P/E
17.0
This estimates the price-to-profit ratio using expected earnings for the coming year.
Gross margin
51.8%
This tells us that for every pound of parts sold, just over fifty pence remains after covering the basic cost of those goods.

How much money does AutoZone, Inc. make?

Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.

RevenueNet income
$0$1.56B$3.12B$4.68B$6.24BQ2 25Q3 25Q4 25Q1 26Q2 26
Gross margin
51.8%
Net margin
12.4%

Does AutoZone, Inc. pay a dividend?

No - AutoZone, Inc. doesn't currently pay a dividend, so the whole return would rest on the share price. Plenty of growing companies reinvest their profits instead of paying them out - neither approach is better or worse, they're just different.

More in Consumer Cyclical

Booking HoldingsExpedia GroupeBay Inc.Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.Yum! Brands, Inc.Las Vegas Sands Corp.Marriott International, Inc.Casey's General Stores, Inc.

What are the scenarios for AutoZone, Inc.?

An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.

$4,187$3,016$2,282today · $3,016▲ Bull · $3,439• Base · $3,061▼ Bear · $2,534in 1 yearILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A PREDICTION OR PRICE TARGET
Bull
+10% to +18%Stronger than expected demand for car maintenance lifts upcoming sales figures.
Base
-2% to +5%Steady trading continues alongside normal seasonal repairs.
Bear
-12% to -20%Weaker consumer spending leads to postponed vehicle repairs.

What are the pros and cons of AutoZone, Inc.?

3bull points
6bear points

How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.

The bull case3
  • High gross margin indicates strong pricing power on parts.
  • Essential car maintenance needs tend to hold up well during economic dips.
  • Consistent revenue and earnings growth over recent periods.
The catch3
  • Negative book value means liabilities outweigh recorded assets, often due to share buybacks.
  • Does not pay a dividend, offering no cash returns simply for holding the shares.
  • Recent twelve-month price decline shows investor caution.
Key risks3
  • Competition from online retailers and other physical auto parts chains.
  • Potential inflation in the cost of buying and shipping inventory.
  • Long-term threat from electric vehicles requiring fewer replacement parts.
What would flip the thesis

The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.

Confidence: medium · data: USD · flags: roe · Charts by TradingView Lightweight Charts™
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Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →

This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.

Figures as of 2026-08-01. Prices may be delayed and numbers can go stale - always double-check before acting.