O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) Short Interest Up 19.5% in August

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,350,000 shares, an increase of 19.5% from the August 15th total of 1,130,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 385,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Activity at O’Reilly Automotive

In other news, SVP Mark Joseph Merz sold 413 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,120.00, for a total transaction of $462,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $296,800. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, SVP Mark Joseph Merz sold 413 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,120.00, for a total value of $462,560.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $296,800. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Christopher Andrew Mancini sold 1,557 shares of O’Reilly Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,125.00, for a total value of $1,751,625.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,411 shares of company stock worth $56,846,062. Company insiders own 1.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On O’Reilly Automotive

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in O’Reilly Automotive in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO grew its position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 325.0% during the 1st quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO now owns 34 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. 85.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on ORLY shares. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,275.00 to $1,250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 18th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,200.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Bank of America raised their price objective on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,204.00 to $1,290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,143.00 to $1,204.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,215.00 to $1,230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,144.06.

O’Reilly Automotive Trading Down 0.2 %

O’Reilly Automotive stock traded down $2.80 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $1,127.92. The company had a trading volume of 284,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 384,127. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,106.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,071.50. The company has a market cap of $65.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.92. O’Reilly Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $860.10 and a fifty-two week high of $1,169.11.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $10.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.98 by ($0.43). The firm had revenue of $4.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.32 billion. O’Reilly Automotive had a net margin of 14.57% and a negative return on equity of 146.57%. The company’s revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $10.22 EPS. Research analysts forecast that O’Reilly Automotive will post 41.13 EPS for the current year.

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.