AutoZone Stock Falls After 5th Straight Earnings Miss. Why It’s Still Up 29% This Year.

The automotive parts retailer expects to “aggressively open stores in the new year.” (Billy Blume/Dreamstime.com)

Key Points

About This Summary

• AutoZone missed earnings expectations for the fifth consecutive quarter, with adjusted earnings of $48.71 per share.
• Sales reached $6.24 billion, slightly below estimates, but same-store sales increased by 5.1% from the prior year.
• Despite recent earnings misses, AutoZone stock has risen 29% in 2025, and the company plans to expand its physical footprint.

Shares of AutoZone were falling Tuesday after the company missed earnings expectations for the fifth consecutive quarter.

In midmorning trading, the stock was down 2.9% to $3,990.

The automotive parts retailer posted adjusted earnings of $48.71 a share for its fiscal fourth quarter, short of Wall Street’s consensus call for $50.57. Sales totaled $6.24 billion, a tick below analysts’ estimate of $6.25 billion. Same-store sales improved 5.1% from the prior year.

The company didn’t issue a forecast for 2026, but said it planned to expand its physical footprint. “We expect to aggressively open stores in the new year as we continue to focus on growing our market share over time,” said CEO Phil Daniele.

Despite the series of earnings misses, AutoZone stock has performed well in 2025, up 29% this year as of Monday’s close. It was a Barron’s stock pick in March.

Shares of competitors O’Reilly Automotive and Advance Auto Parts were down 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively, on Tuesday.

Write to Nate Wolf at nate.wolf@barrons.com