Did AutoZone's (NYSE:AZO) Share Price Deserve to Gain 95%?
Stock pickers are generally looking for stocks that will outperform the broader market. Buying under-rated businesses is one path to excess returns. For example, long term AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) shareholders have enjoyed a 95% share price rise over the last half decade, well in excess of the market return of around 52% (not including dividends). On the other hand, the more recent gains haven't been so impressive, with shareholders gaining just 43%.
Check out our latest analysis for AutoZone
There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.
During five years of share price growth, AutoZone achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 15% per year. That makes the EPS growth particularly close to the yearly share price growth of 14%. That suggests that the market sentiment around the company hasn't changed much over that time. Rather, the share price has approximately tracked EPS growth.
You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).
We know that AutoZone has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? This free report showing analyst revenue forecasts should help you figure out if the EPS growth can be sustained.
A Different Perspective
It's good to see that AutoZone has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 43% in the last twelve months. That gain is better than the annual TSR over five years, which is 14%. Therefore it seems like sentiment around the company has been positive lately. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. If you would like to research AutoZone in more detail then you might want to take a look at whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in the company.
We will like AutoZone better if we see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.
Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.
If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.
We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.
