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

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 850,600 shares, a drop of 12.7% from the January 31st total of 974,100 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 332,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,305.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,450.00 to $1,525.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group raised their price objective on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,535.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,390.81.

O’Reilly Automotive Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ ORLY traded down $14.83 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $1,324.84. 189,613 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 340,419. The company has a market cap of $76.48 billion, a PE ratio of 32.59, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.94. O’Reilly Automotive has a 12 month low of $947.49 and a 12 month high of $1,389.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,273.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,215.23.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $9.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts anticipate that O’Reilly Automotive will post 43.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other O’Reilly Automotive news, SVP Mark Joseph Merz sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,325.00, for a total value of $662,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $364,375. This represents a 64.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $326,410.16. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,278,001.07. This trade represents a 20.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,894 shares of company stock valued at $10,409,618. 1.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On O’Reilly Automotive

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in O’Reilly Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in O’Reilly Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.