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

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

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on ORLY. Mizuho increased their target price on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,305.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,325.00 to $1,425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,416.00 to $1,453.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,315.00 to $1,325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, O’Reilly Automotive has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,390.81.

O’Reilly Automotive Stock Performance

NASDAQ ORLY opened at $1,339.09 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,304.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,232.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.91. O’Reilly Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $947.49 and a fifty-two week high of $1,389.05.

O’Reilly Automotive’s stock is going to split on the morning of Tuesday, June 10th. The 15-1 split was announced on Thursday, March 13th. The newly minted shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Monday, June 9th.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $9.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.73 by $0.23. O’Reilly Automotive had a net margin of 14.28% and a negative return on equity of 166.88%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that O’Reilly Automotive will post 43.94 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at O’Reilly Automotive

In other O’Reilly Automotive news, SVP Mark Joseph Merz sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,325.00, for a total transaction of $662,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $364,375. This trade represents a 64.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 value of $1,082,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $988,000. This represents a 52.29 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,894 shares of company stock valued at $10,409,618. Corporate insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of O’Reilly Automotive

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,163,271 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,122,607,000 after buying an additional 17,325 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 73.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,725,316 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,986,874,000 after purchasing an additional 728,040 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in O’Reilly Automotive by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,479,166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,700,513,000 after acquiring an additional 24,135 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,443,540 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,711,750,000 after purchasing an additional 11,039 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in O’Reilly Automotive by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 799,848 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $948,460,000 after buying an additional 46,979 shares during the last quarter. 85.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About O’Reilly Automotive

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.