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AutoZone (AZO) Earnings Dates, Call Summary & Reports

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Earnings Data

Report Date

Sep 29, 2026

Before Open (Confirmed)

Period Ending

2026 (Q4)

Consensus EPS Forecast

54.51

Last Year’s EPS

48.71

Same Quarter Last Year

Analyst Consensus

Strong Buy

Based on 18 Analysts Ratings

Earnings Call Summary

Q3 2026

Earnings Call Date:May 26, 2026|

% Change Since:

Earnings Call Sentiment|Positive

The call emphasized durable top-line growth, accelerated commercial momentum, strong free cash flow and disciplined capital returns (including significant buybacks). Key operating wins include expanding and productive new stores, the Mega Hub rollout, and improving gross-margin trends excluding LIFO. Offsetting these positives are material noncash LIFO charges that meaningfully depress reported margins and EPS, softer DIY traffic (weather driven), a moderating international backdrop, and continued inflation/supply risks. On balance the company is executing on strategic growth initiatives and generating cash, but near-term reported results will be impacted by LIFO and macro/weather-related softness.

Company Guidance

The company provided clear Q4 and near‑term guidance: they expect to open ~160 stores in Q4 (365 for FY26 vs 305 last year) while investing nearly $1.6 billion in CapEx this year and a similar amount next year; plan a Q4 LIFO charge of ~$30M (bringing FY26 LIFO to ~$207M vs $64M LY) which they expect will reduce EBIT by ~$30M, pressure gross margin by ~45 bps and reduce EPS by about $1.40; if current FX rates hold Q4 would get an estimated ~$62M revenue tailwind, ~$19M to EBIT and ~$0.78 to EPS; model Q4 interest at ~$152M, an effective tax rate of ~22%, and SG&A per store/total growth roughly in line with Q3 (~3% per store); they reiterated Q3 trends to watch (DIY traffic -3.6%, same‑SKU inflation ~7% in Q3) but expect DIY average ticket to be mid‑4% in Q4, international comps to run similar to Q3, continued strong free cash generation (Q3 FCF $455M, YTD $1.1B), a leverage ratio of ~2.5x EBITDAR, inventory per store +6% (total inventory +10.8%), net inventory per store -$107k, and $586M of buybacks this quarter with ~$800M remaining.

Strong Top-Line and EPS Growth

Total sales of $4.8B, up 8.4% year-over-year; diluted EPS $38.07, up 7.7% (EPS would be +12.5% excluding a $20M noncash LIFO charge vs. a $16M credit last year).

Domestic Same-Store and Commercial Acceleration

Domestic same-store sales +4.1%; domestic DIY comp +2.2%; domestic commercial (DIFM) sales +10.4%. Commercial now represents ~34% of domestic auto parts and ~29% of total company sales; average weekly sales per commercial program $18.5K, up 4.5%; 46 net new commercial programs added, program coverage ~94% of domestic stores.

New Stores and Store Productivity

Opened 82 stores globally this quarter; finished with ~6.77K U.S. stores, 933 Mexico, 157 Brazil; on track to open ~365 stores for the full year versus 305 last year. Management reports new-store productivity is exceeding pro forma expectations.

Mega Hub Rollout Driving Incremental Growth

Opened 14 Mega Hubs in the quarter (156 total); Mega Hubs carry >100K SKUs and are driving outsized sales lift and improved parts availability. Company targets ~300 Mega Hubs at full build-out and expects to accelerate openings in FY27.

Strong Free Cash Flow and Share Repurchases

Q3 free cash flow $455M (vs. $423M prior year); YTD free cash flow $1.1B. Repurchased $586M of stock in the quarter with ~$800M remaining authorization, supporting continued capital returns.

Gross Margin Performance Excluding LIFO and Expense Leverage

Reported gross margin 52.2% (down 57 bps YoY including LIFO); excluding the unfavorable LIFO comparison, gross margin would be up ~20 bps. SG&A grew 7.6% but leveraged ~25 bps as a percentage of sales; SG&A per store up ~3%.

Foreign-Exchange Tailwind

FX benefited results in the quarter: Mexican peso strength (~13% vs. prior Q3) provided approximately $74M in sales tailwind, ~$20M to EBIT, and ~$0.83 to EPS. Management noted a potential Q4 FX benefit of ~$62M revenue, ~$19M EBIT, and ~$0.78 EPS if rates hold.

AutoZone (AZO) Earnings, Revenues Date & History

The upcoming earnings date is based on a company’s previous reporting, and may be updated when the actual date is announced

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AZO Earnings History

Report Date	Fiscal Quarter	Forecast / EPS	Last Year's EPS	EPS YoY Change	Slides	Play Transcript
Sep 29, 2026	2026 (Q4)	54.51 / -	48.71	―	―	―
May 26, 2026	2026 (Q3)	36.22 / 38.07	28.29	34.56% (+9.78)
Mar 03, 2026	2026 (Q2)	27.16 / 27.63	28.29	-2.33% (-0.66)
Dec 09, 2025	2026 (Q1)	32.75 / 31.04	32.52	-4.55% (-1.48)
Sep 23, 2025	2025 (Q4)	50.73 / 48.71	48.11	1.25% (+0.60)
May 27, 2025	2025 (Q3)	37.11 / 35.36	28.89	22.40% (+6.47)
Mar 04, 2025	2025 (Q2)	29.05 / 28.29	28.89	-2.08% (-0.60)
Dec 10, 2024	2025 (Q1)	33.56 / 32.52	32.55	-0.09% (-0.03)
Sep 24, 2024	2024 (Q4)	53.60 / 48.11	46.46	3.55% (+1.65)
May 21, 2024	2024 (Q3)	26.25 / 28.89	24.64	17.25% (+4.25)

The table shows recent earnings report dates and whether the forecast was beat or missed. See the change in forecast and EPS from the previous year.

Beat

Missed

AZO Earnings-Related Price Changes

Report Date	Price 1 Day Before	Price 1 Day After	Percentage Change
May 26, 2026	$3406.50	$3100.11	-8.99%
Mar 03, 2026	$3882.47	$3637.17	-6.32%
Dec 09, 2025	$3766.96	$3496.77	-7.17%
Sep 23, 2025	$4121.00	$4120.00	-0.02%

Earnings announcements can affect a stock’s price. This table shows the stock's price the day before and the day after recent earnings reports, including the percentage change.