StockNews.com Downgrades O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) to Hold

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on ORLY. UBS Group increased their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,535.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of O’Reilly Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $1,150.00 to $1,450.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,315.00 to $1,325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,390.81.

O’Reilly Automotive Price Performance

O’Reilly Automotive stock opened at $1,330.42 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,258.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,206.84. O’Reilly Automotive has a 1 year low of $947.49 and a 1 year high of $1,350.27.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $9.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.73 by $0.23. O’Reilly Automotive had a negative return on equity of 166.88% and a net margin of 14.28%. Research analysts expect that O’Reilly Automotive will post 43.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Gregory L. Henslee sold 3,073 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,315.15, for a total value of $4,041,455.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 11,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,988,764.55. This trade represents a 21.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brad W. Beckham sold 833 shares of O’Reilly Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,300.00, for a total transaction of $1,082,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $988,000. This trade represents a 52.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,894 shares of company stock worth $10,409,618 in the last ninety days. 1.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc increased its position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 605 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $697,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in O’Reilly Automotive by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 115 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 0.5% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 1,863 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,145,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the period. L.M. Kohn & Company raised its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 1.4% in the third quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $753,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC raised its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 215 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.00% of the company’s stock.

O’Reilly Automotive Company Profile

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer and supplier of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. The company provides new and remanufactured automotive hard parts and maintenance items, such as alternators, batteries, brake system components, belts, chassis parts, driveline parts, engine parts, fuel pumps, hoses, starters, temperature control, water pumps, antifreeze, appearance products, engine additives, filters, fluids, lighting products, and oil and wiper blades; and accessories, including floor mats, seat covers, and truck accessories.