Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 31,910 Shares of O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY)

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,792,969 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 31,910 shares during the period. O'Reilly Automotive accounts for 1.2% of Principal Financial Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 3.11% of O'Reilly Automotive worth $2,126,104,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ORLY. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of O'Reilly Automotive by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 18,580 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $21,396,000 after buying an additional 3,193 shares in the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of O'Reilly Automotive by 23.2% during the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,027 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $40,349,000 after buying an additional 6,418 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of O'Reilly Automotive by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 19,597 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $22,568,000 after buying an additional 882 shares in the last quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of O'Reilly Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $365,000. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of O'Reilly Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $19,786,000. 85.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

O'Reilly Automotive Price Performance

Shares of O'Reilly Automotive stock traded up $16.64 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $1,312.44. 278,208 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 332,128. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $947.49 and a 12-month high of $1,350.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.28, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,252.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,199.59.

O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $9.96 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%. On average, analysts forecast that O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. will post 44.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORLY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on 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. BNP Paribas raised O'Reilly Automotive to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. DA Davidson upped their target price 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. Evercore ISI upped their target price 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised O'Reilly Automotive from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $1,150.00 to $1,450.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $1,390.81.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Andrea Weiss sold 600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,224.07, for a total transaction of $734,442.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $856,849. This trade represents a 46.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Maria Sastre sold 248 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 owns 971 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,278,001.07. This trade represents a 20.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,968 shares of company stock worth $2,492,394 in the last three months. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

O'Reilly Automotive 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.