Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 3,560,471 Shares of O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. $ORLY

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) by 16.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,066,239 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,560,471 shares during the quarter. O’Reilly Automotive makes up approximately 0.9% of Principal Financial Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 2.16% of O’Reilly Automotive worth $1,667,699,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ORLY. Welch Group LLC boosted its position in O’Reilly Automotive by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 13,342 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,217,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its position in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 1.4% during the third quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 7,635 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $823,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,702 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $520,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadcap Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of O’Reilly Automotive by 4.7% during the third quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,422 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $261,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 85.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

O’Reilly Automotive Stock Up 1.2%

O’Reilly Automotive stock opened at $87.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $72.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a fifty day moving average of $89.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $92.10. O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.71 and a twelve month high of $108.71.

O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.46 billion. O’Reilly Automotive had a negative return on equity of 263.22% and a net margin of 14.30%.The business’s revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.35 EPS. O’Reilly Automotive has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.150-3.250 EPS. Equities analysts expect that O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. will post 3.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at O’Reilly Automotive

In related news, SVP Philip M. Hopper sold 3,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.60, for a total transaction of $350,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,404.80. This represents a 43.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Brad W. Beckham sold 13,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $1,295,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 12,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,163,750. This trade represents a 52.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 105,730 shares of company stock worth $9,815,388. 0.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho increased their price objective on O’Reilly Automotive from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $109.00 target price on shares of O’Reilly Automotive in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Truist Financial set a $108.00 target price on O’Reilly Automotive in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of O’Reilly Automotive in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $117.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of O’Reilly Automotive in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, O’Reilly Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $111.85.

About O’Reilly Automotive

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc is a leading retailer and distributor in the automotive aftermarket, supplying parts, tools, supplies and accessories for both professional service providers and do‑it‑yourself (DIY) customers. The company’s product assortment covers replacement parts, maintenance items, performance parts, collision components and shop equipment, complemented by diagnostic tools, batteries, chemicals and consumables. O’Reilly serves customers through company-operated retail stores, commercial sales programs for repair shops and maintenance fleets, and digital channels that support parts lookup, ordering and fulfillment.

The company operates a broad supply chain that includes regional distribution centers to support rapid replenishment of store inventory and commercial deliveries.