O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $1,450.00 and last traded at $1,432.58, with a volume of 505719 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,408.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on ORLY shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,325.00 to $1,425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com cut O’Reilly Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley raised O’Reilly Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $1,150.00 to $1,450.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on O’Reilly Automotive from $1,400.00 to $1,535.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, O’Reilly Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,390.81.

O’Reilly Automotive Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $81.11 billion, a PE ratio of 34.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,334.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,247.61.

Shares of O’Reilly Automotive are scheduled to split on Tuesday, June 10th. The 15-1 split was announced on Thursday, March 13th. The newly minted shares will be payable to shareholders after the market closes on Monday, June 9th.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. will post 43.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at O’Reilly Automotive

In related news, Chairman Gregory L. Henslee sold 3,073 shares of O’Reilly Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,315.15, for a total transaction of $4,041,455.95. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 11,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,988,764.55. This trade represents a 21.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Maria Sastre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,316.17, for a total value of $326,410.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 971 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,278,001.07. The trade was a 20.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,894 shares of company stock worth $10,409,618 over the last three months. 1.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On O’Reilly Automotive

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in O’Reilly Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,123,000. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,027 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $40,349,000 after acquiring an additional 6,418 shares during the last quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the fourth quarter worth $365,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 3,216 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in O’Reilly Automotive by 6.9% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 27,907 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,138,000 after purchasing an additional 1,811 shares during the period. 85.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.