O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant 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 daily trading volume, of 348,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on ORLY shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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 research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of O'Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on O'Reilly Automotive from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on O'Reilly Automotive from $1,325.00 to $1,425.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised O'Reilly Automotive from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $1,150.00 to $1,450.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,390.81.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jason Lee Tarrant sold 1,992 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,339.10, for a total value of $2,667,487.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,872,061.80. This represents a 58.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Andrea Weiss sold 248 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,311.23, for a total value of $325,185.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 452 shares in the company, valued at approximately $592,675.96. The trade was a 35.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have 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

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in O'Reilly Automotive by 41.6% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 313 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. 111 Capital acquired a new stake in shares of O'Reilly Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $1,092,000. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ purchased a new stake in shares of O'Reilly Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $40,993,000. Finally, Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in O'Reilly Automotive during the 4th quarter worth about $189,000. 85.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

O'Reilly Automotive Trading Down 3.6 %

O'Reilly Automotive stock traded down $52.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $1,389.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,113,634 shares, compared to its average volume of 368,425. The stock's fifty day moving average is $1,341.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,250.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.56 billion, a PE ratio of 34.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.91. O'Reilly Automotive has a 1 year low of $947.49 and a 1 year high of $1,458.37.

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

O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $9.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that O'Reilly Automotive will post 43.94 EPS for the current fiscal 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.