Insider Selling: O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) Chairman Sells 138,705 Shares of Company Stock

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) Chairman Gregory Henslee sold 138,705 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.75, for a total transaction of $12,726,183.75. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 241,950 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,198,912.50. This represents a 36.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

O’Reilly Automotive Stock Down 1.7%

NASDAQ:ORLY traded down $1.60 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $89.89. 7,235,022 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,501,072. The company has a market capitalization of $72.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.55. O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.59 and a 12 month high of $102.46. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $87.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.46.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.02 billion. O’Reilly Automotive had a negative return on equity of 188.24% and a net margin of 14.27%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. will post 3.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ORLY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded O’Reilly Automotive from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on O’Reilly Automotive from $112.00 to $108.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of O’Reilly Automotive in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America started coverage on O’Reilly Automotive in a report on Monday, October 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $106.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $122.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of O’Reilly Automotive in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $108.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On O’Reilly Automotive

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ORLY. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in O’Reilly Automotive in the second quarter valued at $5,950,042,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in O’Reilly Automotive during the second quarter worth $1,023,936,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in O’Reilly Automotive by 1.5% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 9,329,667 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $859,169,000 after acquiring an additional 141,915 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 19.7% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 8,497,984 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $784,449,000 after acquiring an additional 1,397,671 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the second quarter valued at $721,747,000. 85.00% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About O’Reilly Automotive

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc is a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools and accessories. Its products serve both do-it-yourself customers maintaining their own vehicles and professional repair shops.

The company also offers services such as battery testing, check-engine-light code reading and parts installation assistance. Its operations include retail stores and distribution centers that support customers and professional service providers.

Founded in 1957 by Charles F.