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

O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 877,700 shares, an increase of 21.9% from the April 30th total of 719,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 434,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 1.6% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORLY has been the topic of several recent research reports. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $1,475.00 target price on shares of O'Reilly Automotive in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of O'Reilly Automotive in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of O'Reilly Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of O'Reilly Automotive from $1,450.00 to $1,500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of O'Reilly Automotive from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $1,414.56.

O'Reilly Automotive Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of ORLY stock traded down $5.48 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $1,366.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 306,251 shares, compared to its average volume of 378,427. The stock has a market cap of $77.88 billion, a PE ratio of 33.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,375.05 and a 200 day moving average of $1,309.99. O'Reilly Automotive has a 12-month low of $964.71 and a 12-month high of $1,458.37.

O'Reilly Automotive's stock is set to split before the market opens on Tuesday, June 10th. The 15-1 split was announced on Thursday, March 13th. The newly issued shares will be payable to shareholders after the closing bell on Monday, June 9th.

O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $9.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $9.84 by ($0.49). The company had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.18 billion. O'Reilly Automotive had a net margin of 14.28% and a negative return on equity of 166.88%. O'Reilly Automotive's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.20 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that O'Reilly Automotive will post 43.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at O'Reilly Automotive

In other O'Reilly Automotive news, Director John Raymond Murphy sold 200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,379.00, for a total value of $275,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 304 shares in the company, valued at $419,216. This represents a 39.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Ramon Parises Odems sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,360.45, for a total transaction of $2,720,900.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 16 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,767.20. This represents a 99.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,219 shares of company stock valued at $3,022,386 in the last quarter. 1.01% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On O'Reilly Automotive

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ORLY. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in O'Reilly Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,123,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its stake in shares of O'Reilly Automotive by 824.6% during the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 3,606 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,276,000 after buying an additional 3,216 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in O'Reilly Automotive by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 21,032 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $24,940,000 after acquiring an additional 2,452 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP purchased a new position in O'Reilly Automotive in the fourth quarter worth approximately $827,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in O'Reilly Automotive by 205,600.0% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 503,965 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $597,602,000 after acquiring an additional 503,720 shares in the last quarter. 85.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.