Citigroup Inc. Has $167.51 Million Stake in O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY)

Key Points

• Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in O'Reilly Automotive by 24.2% in the first quarter, owning 116,932 shares valued at approximately $167.5 million.
• Multiple analysts have raised their price targets for O'Reilly Automotive, with UBS Group increasing it to $115.00 and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to $113.00, maintaining a predominantly bullish outlook on the stock.
• Insider transactions revealed significant sales of shares, including a sale by Director John Raymond Murphy, who sold 3,000 shares and reduced his position by 39.68%.

Citigroup Inc. raised its position in O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY - Free Report) by 24.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 116,932 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 22,817 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned 0.20% of O'Reilly Automotive worth $167,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in O'Reilly Automotive by 16.4% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,195 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $33,227,000 after purchasing an additional 3,272 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in O'Reilly Automotive by 33.9% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 583,812 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $836,357,000 after purchasing an additional 147,904 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in O'Reilly Automotive by 1.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,238,396 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $7,504,421,000 after purchasing an additional 75,125 shares during the period. Summit X LLC increased its stake in O'Reilly Automotive by 96.1% during the first quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 15,536 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $22,255,000 after purchasing an additional 7,612 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its stake in O'Reilly Automotive by 7.0% during the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 149,393 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $214,017,000 after purchasing an additional 9,741 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.00% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Mark Joseph Merz sold 29,505 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.25, for a total value of $2,898,866.25. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $415,990.50. This represents a 87.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Shari Lynne Reaves sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.81, for a total value of $207,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 12,826 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,331,467.06. This represents a 13.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,840 shares of company stock worth $6,629,176 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.01% of the company's stock.

O'Reilly Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ORLY traded down $0.14 on Friday, hitting $103.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,676,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,884,597. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $73.11 and a 12 month high of $104.86. The company has a market capitalization of $88.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.56. The stock's 50-day moving average is $93.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.25.

O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.78. O'Reilly Automotive had a negative return on equity of 181.53% and a net margin of 14.15%. The business had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $10.55 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. will post 43.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ORLY. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on O'Reilly Automotive from $98.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on O'Reilly Automotive from $104.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on O'Reilly Automotive from $97.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on O'Reilly Automotive from $98.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $86.00 price objective on shares of O'Reilly Automotive in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, O'Reilly Automotive currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.22.

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.