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

O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 14,840,000 shares, a growth of 1,590.8% from the May 15th total of 877,700 shares. Currently, 26.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 6,510,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on ORLY. Mizuho lifted their price objective on O'Reilly Automotive from $93.33 to $96.33 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. DA Davidson raised their target price on O'Reilly Automotive from $101.67 to $106.67 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $98.33 price target on shares of O'Reilly Automotive in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Barclays upped their price target on O'Reilly Automotive from $83.33 to $86.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on O'Reilly Automotive from $95.00 to $103.33 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Two investment 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $94.30.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Ramon Parises Odems sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.70, for a total transaction of $2,720,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 240 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,767.20. This trade represents a 99.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John Raymond Murphy sold 3,000 shares of O'Reilly Automotive stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.93, for a total transaction of $275,800.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $419,216. This trade represents a 39.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,285 shares of company stock valued at $3,022,386. Insiders own 1.01% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On O'Reilly Automotive

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of O'Reilly Automotive by 175,115.6% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,822,242 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,610,507,000 after acquiring an additional 1,821,202 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in O'Reilly Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $867,190,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in O'Reilly Automotive in the first quarter valued at approximately $897,549,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in O'Reilly Automotive by 205,600.0% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 503,965 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $597,602,000 after purchasing an additional 503,720 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of O'Reilly Automotive by 20.8% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,924,603 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,757,148,000 after purchasing an additional 330,964 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.00% of the company's stock.

O'Reilly Automotive Stock Performance

ORLY traded up $0.91 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $90.92. The stock had a trading volume of 2,818,851 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,951,312. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $91.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $87.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.60. O'Reilly Automotive has a 52 week low of $65.92 and a 52 week high of $97.22.

O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.66 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $4.14 billion for 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%. The company's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that O'Reilly Automotive will post 43.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.