O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,535.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,325.00 to $1,425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Guggenheim increased their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,200.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,390.81.

O’Reilly Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ORLY traded up $31.67 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $1,346.58. The company had a trading volume of 409,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 333,873. The company has a market capitalization of $77.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.12, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,256.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,205.97. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The specialty retailer reported $9.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.73 by $0.23. O’Reilly Automotive had a net margin of 14.28% and a negative return on equity of 166.88%. Sell-side analysts forecast that O’Reilly Automotive will post 43.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at O’Reilly Automotive

In other O’Reilly Automotive news, CEO Brad W. Beckham sold 833 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,300.00, for a total value of $1,082,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $988,000. The trade was a 52.29 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Maria Sastre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,316.17, for a total transaction of $326,410.16. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 971 shares in the company, valued at $1,278,001.07. This trade represents a 20.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,581 shares of company stock valued at $3,375,490 in the last 90 days. 1.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On O’Reilly Automotive

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ORLY. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.00% of the company’s stock.

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.