Welch & Forbes LLC Trims Stock Position in O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY)

Welch & Forbes LLC decreased its holdings in O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) by 1.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 198,345 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,023 shares during the quarter. O’Reilly Automotive makes up 3.7% of Welch & Forbes LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in O’Reilly Automotive were worth $284,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 16.4% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 23,195 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,227,000 after purchasing an additional 3,272 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 33.9% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 583,812 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $836,357,000 after purchasing an additional 147,904 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 7.0% in the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 149,393 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $214,017,000 after purchasing an additional 9,741 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the first quarter worth $9,226,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 197.2% in the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 303,484 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $434,765,000 after purchasing an additional 201,356 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.00% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other O’Reilly Automotive news, SVP Ramon Parises Odems sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.70, for a total value of $2,720,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,767.20. This represents a 99.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Najera Jose A. Montellano sold 285 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.13, for a total transaction of $25,686.29. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,285 shares of company stock worth $3,022,386 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.01% of the company’s stock.

O’Reilly Automotive Price Performance

ORLY opened at $91.19 on Wednesday. O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $68.44 and a fifty-two week high of $97.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.95 billion, a PE ratio of 33.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50-day moving average is $90.63 and its 200 day moving average is $89.00.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.04). O’Reilly Automotive had a negative return on equity of 167.25% and a net margin of 14.10%. The business had revenue of $4.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. will post 43.94 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on ORLY. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $98.00 price target on shares of O’Reilly Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $96.67 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of O’Reilly Automotive in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $102.33 to $105.33 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of O’Reilly Automotive from $101.67 to $106.67 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $94.38.

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.