Shares of AutoZone Inc. fell 1.2% in afternoon trading Wednesday, to pull back from the previous session’s record close, after BofA Securities analyst Elizabeth Suzuki turned bearish, saying it’s “time to hit the brakes” on the auto parts seller. Suzuki cut her rating to underperform from neutral, while maintaining her $1,390 stock price target, which is 7.1% below current levels. “Auto parts retail spending has been tracking above expectations as discussed in our recent report, but we believe that this is now more than priced in to [AutoZone] shares,” Suzuki wrote in a note to clients. The stock, which closed Tuesday at a record $1,514.11, has rallied 26.2% year to date, while the SPDR Consumer Discretionary Select Sector ETF , of which AutoZone is a component, has gained 10.2% and the S&P 500 has advanced 10.8%. Suzuki added that AutoZone’s customer mix is comprised of about 80% do-it-yourselfers (DIYers) and 20% do-it-for-me (DIFM) shops, “which also means that [AutoZone] has the lowest relative exposure to the now-recovering professional repair channel.”
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
