Comments for AZO - Stockpickr! Your Source for Stock Ideas

Comments for AZO

Added By	Comments	Type	Date Added
RhinoStocks	Like KMX, this stock caters to those who don't have the option of purchasing a new vehicle. And right now, with millions of Americans under that umbrella, it should be set to impress come earnings time.	Love	September 21, 2009
barrons3	ESL Investments decreased its holdings to 20,206,018 shares (37.6%), after selling 750,085 shares from July 15 to July 17 at $157.83 per share.	Love	July 25, 2009
daniel harrison	worked there during college..was treated well	Love	July 08, 2009
barrons3	ESL Investments decreased its holdings to 20,956,103 shares (39.0%), after selling 454,153 shares from June 19 to June 23 at prices ranging from $155.06 to $157.01 apiece; and it is distributing 2,578,742 shares to partners of its affiliate, Acres Partners.	Love	June 27, 2009
Stockpickr Staff	In addition to Monroe, Cramer said he'd also look into auto parts retailer OReilly Automotive (ORLY). OReilly has the most room to grow, said Cramer, given the company's recent acquisition. He sees limited upside in competitors like AutoZone (AZO) and Advance Auto Parts (AAP). (<a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/10501831/2/cramers-mad-money-recap-next-weeks-game-plan-final.html" target="_blank">"Mad Money" Recap, 5-15-09</a>)	Love	May 18, 2009
barrons3	AutoZone (AZO) and Monro Muffler (MNRO) put up some great earnings.	Love	March 05, 2009
quequezim	owned it for a while and it goes up	Love	February 15, 2009
kstewart	poeple are fixing cars and not buying them	Love	January 07, 2009
sarah z	For instance, AutoZone is in this week’s portfolio. The nation’s leading automotive retailer announced that it will repurchase an additional $500 million of the company’s common stock. AutoZone’s ongoing buyback program now totals $7.4 billion; this amount includes the new $500 million authorization. Bill Giles, AutoZone’s Executive Vice President and CFO commented, “AutoZone's strong financial performance has allowed us to continue to repurchase our stock while maintaining strong credit metrics.” He continued, "Although the financial markets remain challenging, we will continue to utilize share repurchases within the bounds of a disciplined capital structure to enhance stockholder returns while maintaining adequate liquidity to execute our financial plans." While most stocks have taken a beating over the past year, AutoZone has performed quite well. The S&P 500 index is down about 33% in the past year, while AutoZone’s share price has surged over 25%. On Dec. 9, 2008 the Memphis-based company reported first quarter results with total sales of $1.5 billion, an increase of 1.6% from the same period last year. Operating income increased half a percent or $1.2 million to $238.5 million. Diluted EPS surged 10.1% to $2.23 a share from $2.02 a share in the year-ago period. AutoZone opened 30 new stores and replaced two new stores in the U.S. and opened two stores in Mexico during the first quarter. As of November 22, 2008, there were 4,122 stores in the US and 150 stores in Mexico. After AutoZone reported the solid first quarter, analysts from Gabelli & Company issued a bullish note on the stock. The analysts have a buy rating on the stock noting the company’s strong cash flow generation at 5%-6% a year and management’s dedication to repurchasing shares. It’s also good to see that Renaissance Technologies owns shares of AutoZone. This New York-based hedge fund was started by Jim Simons in 1982. Simons only hires PhDs and the fund mainly employs computer based models to predict price changes in easily-traded financial instruments. The fund is highly secretive but we know that their top holdings are UST Inc and Wal-Mart. We also like to see that the D.E. Shaw Group is buying shares of AZO. The D. E. Shaw group is a global investment firm. Since its organization in 1988, the firm has earned an international reputation for financial innovation and an extraordinarily distinguished staff. The D. E. Shaw group encompasses a number of closely related entities with more than 1,000 employees, approximately $50 billion in aggregate investment capital. Their top stocks are Equity Residential and Pfizer. So we have a new buyback, strong first quarter results, analyst support and two top-notch investment firms buying shares. It might be time to take a closer look at AutoZone.	Love	January 07, 2009
sarah z	From a recent Mad Money show:"This is an intriguing name. The stock has had a ramp here. I've been recommending Monro Muffler (MNRO) in the auto sector. I'd rather see you in that one."	Love	December 16, 2008
barrons3	Buy - Price 116.50 on Dec. 9 by Kevin Dann & Partners AutoZone reported 1Q09 EPS of $2.23 (versus $2.02 the prior year), above our estimate and Street consensus of $2.18. Upside came primarily from...AZO's repurchase of 2.2 million shares for $272 million (average price: $122/share). The remaining items were relatively in-line with our forecast. 1Q09 domestic same-store sales declined 1.5% versus a 1.3% increase the prior year; [our forecast was] 1% to 3%. AZO said September was the worst month of the quarter, and that sales normalized in October through November's end...trends indicate that AutoZone may be better weathering the current environment than its competitors...1Q09 gross margin increased 20 basis points (in-line with our expectations) due to category-management initiatives and a favorable shift in the margin mix toward higher-margin parts and private-label items. [Sales, general and administrative expense] increased 40 basis points (in-line with our expectations) due to the deleveraging effect of the negative sales results. Target: 135. Market cap: $6.9 billion.	Love	December 13, 2008
sarah z	From a recent Mad Money show:"This is an intriguing name. The stock has had a ramp here. I've been recommending Monro Muffler (MNRO) in the auto sector. I'd rather see you in that one."	Love	December 11, 2008
barrons3	“Also check out Autozone [AZO]. In this economy people will be staying in their cars longer," he adds.	Love	December 10, 2008
usstocks101	CEO knows that if they think they are to good they will fall fast.	Love	November 27, 2008
barrons3	So did hedge-fund manager Eddie Lampert, whose ESL Investments bought $27.6 million of AutoZone (AZO) as the stock hit a two-year low. Lampert, who controls 38% of the company, has been buying since April.	Love	October 18, 2008
barrons3	AutoZone shares retreated 30% in the pelting of consumer stocks before recovering slightly last week. At about 106, the stock fetches 9.7 times 2009 profits -- a slight premium to its peers, but for good reason. It runs a stable business insensitive to economic boom or bust, enjoys robust pricing power, and net profit margins near 10% dwarfs the 2.6% average for peers. Steady revenue keeps its free cash flow yield at about 9%. The company has a "track record of managing costs and maintaining operating margin through a challenging environment," says Rochdale Securities analyst Jason Blair. The Memphis Company also bought back $499 million worth of stock recently and Credit Suisse thinks its balance sheet can accommodate incremental leverage. The strong player also can enter new markets as real estate prices relent, and will benefit from consolidation and the flight to quality as consumers struggle.	Love	October 18, 2008
barrons3	Q: What kinds of retailers are best positioned to weather this storm? Balter: The smaller the ticket, the lower the cost of the item, and the more of a necessity it is, the more likely you are going to buy it. So in my coverage area, it is [do-it-yourself auto companies] such as Advance Auto Parts (AAP), AutoZone (AZO) or O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY) because their products are required. Right behind them is PetSmart (PETM), because you are probably going to continue to feed your pet. But in terms of selling necessities, all of those trail Wal-Mart, Family Dollar Stores (FDO) and Costco Wholesale (COST).	Love	October 18, 2008
sarah z	Automotive products retailer AutoZone Inc. said recently its board of directors approved a $500 million stock buyback program. The company had about 63.3 million shares of common stock outstanding as of June 6. AutoZone operates about 4,092 AutoZone stores in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in the U.S. and 148 stores in Mexico. The stock trades for 7x cash flow.	Love	October 01, 2008
barrons3	This company’s shares were among the most active on the NYSE Monday.	Love	September 24, 2008
barrons2	Also you might be interested to know that Fast Money friend Carl Icahn increased is stake in Motorola (MOT) by 25%, while Eddie Lampert upped his position in AutoZone (AZO) but cuts his stake in Home Depot (HD).	Love	August 20, 2008
barrons2	Buy - Price $122.27 on July 9 by Kevin Dann & Partners AutoZone may be positioned to positively surprise the Street when the company reports its financial results in September. ...We think that revenues may have held relatively steady, and that sales through early July may not have dropped off as much as investors may have perceived. ...It is clear that high gasoline prices are negatively impacting the entire automotive aftermarket industry. However, we believe that AZO's private-label strategy (which may have hurt the company in booming economic periods) may actually be beneficial in a weak economic cycle. This strategy is attracting customers who may have previously preferred to purchase branded items... . We are reiterating our BUY rating and our $150.00 target price. Market cap: $7.6 billion.	Love	July 12, 2008
sarah z	AutoZone Inc. said recently its board has approved the repurchase of an additional $500 million in stock, bringing its current unused share repurchase authorization to $608 million. The auto parts retailer also said it will increase its debt leverage to "better optimize its current capital structure." AutoZone said it signed an agreement with shareholder ESL Investments Inc., a hedge fund owned by billionaire investor and Sears Holdings Corp. Chairman Edward Lampert. The fund currently owns about 36.2 percent of AutoZone's outstanding common stock. Under the deal's terms, if ESL's stake reaches 40 percent of shares outstanding, the firm will vote its shares above that mark in a similar proportion to other shareholders. That threshold will be lowered to 37.5 percent after the 2009 annual meeting, AutoZone said. AutoZone said the deal also states that out of three directors it plans to add to its board in the near future, two will be nominated by ESL. The move will increase the board to 12 directors. After that, the company said it will cut its board back to 10 members ahead of the 2008 annual meeting in December. Lampert stepped down from fellow auto retailer AutoNation's board last year to devote more time to ESL Investments and Sears. He is currently AutoNation's largest shareholder.	Love	July 09, 2008
sarah z	AutoZone Inc. said recently its board has approved the repurchase of an additional $500 million in stock, bringing its current unused share repurchase authorization to $608 million. The auto parts retailer also said it will increase its debt leverage to "better optimize its current capital structure." AutoZone said it signed an agreement with shareholder ESL Investments Inc., a hedge fund owned by billionaire investor and Sears Holdings Corp. Chairman Edward Lampert. The fund currently owns about 36.2 percent of AutoZone's outstanding common stock. Under the deal's terms, if ESL's stake reaches 40 percent of shares outstanding, the firm will vote its shares above that mark in a similar proportion to other shareholders. That threshold will be lowered to 37.5 percent after the 2009 annual meeting, AutoZone said. AutoZone said the deal also states that out of three directors it plans to add to its board in the near future, two will be nominated by ESL. The move will increase the board to 12 directors. After that, the company said it will cut its board back to 10 members ahead of the 2008 annual meeting in December. Lampert stepped down from fellow auto retailer AutoNation's board last year to devote more time to ESL Investments and Sears. He is currently AutoNation's largest shareholder.	Love	July 02, 2008
millsplayground	Does anyone else believe that AZO will surprise to the upside this year? Americans are not able to buy new cars as easily since they no longer have as much equity in their homes to borrow against, nor is bank credit as loose as in prior years. Thus, won't people be stuck driving their old hunkers for a while? Older cars on the road lead to greater need for replacement and repair parts. Autozone sales go up. No?	Love	May 18, 2008
amhager	Overvalued and will not grow in the short run.	Hate	February 08, 2008
Mr V	Short downside $105	Love	October 26, 2007
barrons2	" Kostin notes how "previous episodes suggest stocks with high hedge-fund concentration will rally sharply during a market recovery" when one does arrive."	Love	September 08, 2007
sarah z	The company recently announced it added $500 million to its stock buyback program. The additional $500 million in shares boosts AutoZone's total buyback authorization to $5.9 billion. This translates into a whopping 65% of outstanding shares. The Memphis, TN based auto parts retailer recently announced a solid fiscal Q3 with profits jumping 5% on increased sales and margin improvements. The company’s buyback program certainly helped boost EPS numbers also but the company continues to work on supply chain efficiencies. At the beginning of 2007, super investor Mario Gabelli noted that AZO was one of his picks primarily because of their enormous buyback program.	Love	June 13, 2007
dkarjala	Lampert portfolio	Love	May 23, 2007
DMO Investments	9,175	Love	February 15, 2007