AutoZone (AZO) Q1 Earnings & Revenues Top Estimates, Up Y/Y

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) has reported adjusted earnings of $13.47 per share in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 (ended Nov 17, 2018), beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $12.21. In the prior-year quarter, the figure was $10. The rise in earnings was primarily due to the tax reform, which lowered the effective income tax rate.

Revenues improved 2% year over year to $2.6 billion in the reported quarter and it was almost in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Domestic same-store sales (sales of stores open at least for a year) rose 2.7% year over year. The rise in revenues was owing to improved performance in DIY and the company’s commercial growth, which recorded the highest increase since 2015.

Gross profit increased to $1.42 billion from $1.37 billion in the prior-year quarter. Operating profit (EBIT) rose to $487.8 million from $468.8 million registered in the first quarter of fiscal 2018.

AutoZone, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

AutoZone, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | AutoZone, Inc. Quote

Operating expenses, as a percentage of sales, increased to 35.2% from 34.6% a year ago.

Store Opening & Inventory

During the quarter ended on Nov 17, AutoZone opened 13 stores, and relocated one in the United States and three in Mexico. As of Nov 17, it had 5,631 stores across 50 states in the United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico; 567 in Mexico; and 20 in Brazil. The total store count was 6,218 as of that date.

AutoZone’s inventory improved 2% year over year in the quarter under review, driven by store openings and increased product placement, partially offset by the sale of two business units in fiscal 2018. At the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2019, inventory per location increased to $658,000 from the year-ago figure of $663,000.

Share Repurchases

In the first quarter of fiscal 2019, AutoZone repurchased 654,000 shares for $497 million, reflecting an average price of $760 per share. The company had shares worth $985 million remaining for repurchase in its current repurchase authorization.

Financial Details

AutoZone had cash and cash equivalents of $252.1 million as of Nov 17, 2018, down from $257.7 million as of Nov 18, 2017. Total debt amounted to $5.2 billion as of Nov 17, 2018, marking a slight increase from $5 billion recorded on Nov 18, 2017.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

AutoZone currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A few better-ranked stocks in the auto space are Allison Transmission Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ALSN) , Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) . Allison Transmission and Tesla currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Toyota carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Allison Transmission has an expected long-term growth rate of 10%. Shares of the company have increased 10.5% over the past six months.

Tesla has an expected long-term growth rate of 35%. Shares of the company have rallied 23.2% over the past six months.

Toyota has an expected long-term growth rate of 6%. Over the past three months, shares of the company have gained 2.5%.

Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies

It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%.

And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation.

See Them Free>>