Baird starts ‘exceptional’ business AutoZone with Outperform rating

Baird initiated coverage of AutoZone (AZO) with an Outperform rating and $4,500 price target The firm says AutoZone has an “exceptional” business with “resilient” comps and “enviable” margins. The company is seeing faster commercial growth due to improved parts availability and higher service needs, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Baird sees AutoZone disproportionately benefitting from better do-it-yourself demand in 2026 as “stimulus arrives.”