Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires 279,698 Shares of O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. $ORLY

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) by 73.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 662,853 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 279,698 shares during the period. O’Reilly Automotive comprises about 0.4% of Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in O’Reilly Automotive were worth $56,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ORLY. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Fiduciary Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive during the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. 85.00% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

O’Reilly Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ORLY opened at $90.54 on Thursday. O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $82.59 and a 1-year high of $102.46. The company has a market capitalization of $72.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $87.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $90.30.

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

Insider Activity

In other O’Reilly Automotive news, Director Maria Sastre sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.72, for a total transaction of $110,064.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 13,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,262,984.40. This trade represents a 8.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Larry Gray sold 7,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.22, for a total value of $699,205.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,971 shares in the company, valued at $448,483.62. The trade was a 60.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 148,655 shares of company stock worth $13,623,283. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ORLY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on O’Reilly Automotive in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $106.00 target price (up from $104.00) on shares of O’Reilly Automotive in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Bank of America initiated coverage on O’Reilly Automotive in a report on Monday, October 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $106.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $100.00 price target on O’Reilly Automotive and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $106.00 price objective on shares of O’Reilly Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $108.00.

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. O’Reilly and his son Charles H. O’Reilly, the company opened its first store in Springfield, Missouri.