What Happened?
Shares of auto parts and accessories retailer O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY) fell 4.2% in the afternoon session after peer company AutoZone reported first-quarter earnings that revealed underlying financial pressures. Although AutoZone's same-store sales grew, its gross profit as a percentage of sales decreased by 2.03% compared to the prior year. The company noted the drop in gross margin was due to a non-cash LIFO impact. Furthermore, operating expenses as a percentage of sales also increased, which AutoZone attributed to investments in its growth plans. The negative report from a key competitor appeared to weigh on investor sentiment for the broader auto parts retail sector, impacting O'Reilly's stock.
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What Is The Market Telling Us
O'Reilly’s shares are not very volatile and have had no moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 5 months ago when the stock gained 4.8% on the news that the company reported strong second-quarter 2025 financial results and raised its full-year outlook. The auto parts retailer announced a 4.1% increase in comparable store sales and an 11% rise in diluted earnings per share to $0.78 for the second quarter. Total revenue for the period grew 6% to $4.53 billion, while net income rose 7% to $669 million. Following the strong performance, O'Reilly raised its full-year 2025 guidance for comparable store sales. The positive report prompted favorable reactions from Wall Street analysts. For instance, UBS raised its price target on the stock to $115, and Wells Fargo increased its target to $105.
O'Reilly is up 19.3% since the beginning of the year, but at $94.47 per share, it is still trading 12.4% below its 52-week high of $107.82 from September 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of O'Reilly’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $3,191.
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