O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) Short Interest Update

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 802,700 shares, a decrease of 16.7% from the February 28th total of 963,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 348,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Maria Sastre sold 248 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,316.17, for a total value of $326,410.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,278,001.07. This represents a 20.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Mark Joseph Merz sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 275 shares in the company, valued at $364,375. The trade was a 64.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,894 shares of company stock valued at $10,409,618. Corporate insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On O’Reilly Automotive

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marcum Wealth LLC grew its position in O’Reilly Automotive by 4.0% in the first quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 210 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 8 shares during the period. 111 Capital bought a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the 4th quarter worth about $1,092,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the 4th quarter worth about $40,993,000. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in O’Reilly Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $189,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in O’Reilly Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at about $54,399,000. 85.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on ORLY shares. Barclays upped their target price on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,110.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of O’Reilly Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,315.00 to $1,325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,390.81.

O’Reilly Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of ORLY traded down $14.79 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $1,417.01. 397,352 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 364,041. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,331.17 and its 200 day moving average is $1,246.41. O’Reilly Automotive has a 1-year low of $947.49 and a 1-year high of $1,450.00. The stock has a market cap of $81.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.91.

O’Reilly Automotive shares are scheduled to split on Tuesday, June 10th. The 15-1 split was announced on Thursday, March 13th. The newly created shares will be distributed to shareholders after the closing bell on Monday, June 9th.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that O’Reilly Automotive will post 43.94 EPS for the current year.

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.