On Tuesday, Truist Securities adjusted its price target for O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) shares, a retailer in the automotive aftermarket parts industry, to $1,143.00, decreasing from the previous target of $1,212.00. Despite this reduction, the firm maintained its Buy rating on the company's shares.
The revision in the price target comes in light of observed softer trends in the Truist Card Data, leading to a lowered second-quarter comparable store sales (comp sales) estimate to 2.5% from the initially expected 4.0%.
Truist Securities attributes this adjustment to a combination of factors impacting the automotive retail sector, including a slight decline in vehicle prices which could incentivize consumers to purchase new vehicles rather than repair existing ones.
Additionally, the firm notes that the increasing financial pressures on lower-income consumers could pose challenges for O'Reilly Automotive. As a result of these headwinds, Truist Securities anticipates that its estimates will fall below the consensus and expects that forecasts from other analysts will likely trend downwards in the coming weeks.
Despite the potential for O'Reilly Automotive's stock to face modest selling pressure in the near term, Truist Securities suggests that long-term investors should consider any dips in the stock's price as buying opportunities. The firm expresses confidence in the company's prospects, stating that O'Reilly Automotive itself is likely to seize the opportunity to buy back shares during any pullbacks in the market.
In other recent news, O'Reilly Automotive disclosed its first-quarter earnings per share (EPS) of $9.20, falling short of the consensus estimate of $9.27, despite achieving a revenue of $3.98 billion in line with estimates. The company's performance included a 3.4% increase in comparable store sales and an 11% rise in EPS from the same quarter last year.
However, the full-year 2024 guidance provided by O'Reilly Automotive, with an EPS range of $41.35 to $41.85, trails the analyst consensus of $42.40. The company also forecasts full-year revenue to be between $16.8 billion and $17.1 billion, slightly below the consensus of $16.95 billion.
In more recent developments, O'Reilly Automotive continued to expand, opening 37 new stores in the United States and Mexico and marking its entry into the Canadian market with the acquisition of Vast Auto.
This move added 23 stores to its portfolio. The company's share repurchase program remained active, with 0.3 million shares bought back for a total investment of $270 million. As of the press release date, O'Reilly Automotive had approximately $2.22 billion remaining under its share repurchase authorizations.
InvestingPro Insights
As Truist Securities revises its price target for O'Reilly Automotive, it's worth noting some key financial metrics and insights that could influence investment decisions. According to InvestingPro data, O'Reilly Automotive boasts a robust market capitalization of $59.86B and has maintained a stable P/E ratio of 25.43, slightly adjusting to 25.22 over the last twelve months as of Q1 2024. The company's revenue growth remains positive, reporting an 8.49% increase over the last twelve months, which aligns with Truist's view of the company's long-term potential.
InvestingPro Tips suggest that while O'Reilly Automotive trades at a high P/E ratio relative to near-term earnings growth, the stock generally trades with low price volatility, which may appeal to investors seeking stability. Additionally, the company has been profitable over the last twelve months and analysts predict it will remain profitable this year. For those interested in further insights, there are 11 additional InvestingPro Tips available for O'Reilly Automotive, providing a deeper dive into the company's financial health and stock performance.
Investors looking to leverage these insights for a more informed investment strategy can take advantage of the special offer using coupon code PRONEWS24 to get up to 10% off a yearly Pro and a yearly or biyearly Pro+ subscription at InvestingPro. With a fair value estimate by analysts at $1200 and InvestingPro's fair value at $924.96, these tools could be instrumental in deciding whether to follow Truist's advice on viewing dips as buying opportunities.
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