O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) Short Interest Up 14.9% in January

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 974,100 shares, an increase of 14.9% from the January 15th total of 848,000 shares. Approximately 1.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 344,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ORLY. BNP Paribas raised shares of O’Reilly Automotive to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group upped their target price on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,535.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,110.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,315.00 to $1,325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,305.00 to $1,400.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $1,390.81.

O’Reilly Automotive Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:ORLY opened at $1,318.80 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $76.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,249.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,196.49. O’Reilly Automotive has a 12-month low of $947.49 and a 12-month high of $1,350.27.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $9.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that O’Reilly Automotive will post 44.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at O’Reilly Automotive

In related news, SVP Jeffery Thomas Loafman sold 620 shares of O’Reilly Automotive stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,240.39, for a total transaction of $769,041.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 5 shares in the company, valued at $6,201.95. The trade was a 99.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Andrea Weiss sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,224.07, for a total transaction of $734,442.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $856,849. The trade was a 46.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,968 shares of company stock worth $2,492,394. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of O’Reilly Automotive

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in O’Reilly Automotive by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 155 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $178,000 after buying an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 1.5% during the third quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 605 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $697,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in O’Reilly Automotive by 8.5% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 115 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in O’Reilly Automotive by 0.5% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 1,863 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,145,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Finally, L.M. Kohn & Company increased its position in O’Reilly Automotive by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. L.M. Kohn & Company now owns 654 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $753,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. 85.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.