- Curious whether O'Reilly Automotive stock still offers value after a long run, or if most of the upside is already reflected in the price? This article focuses on what you are paying versus what you may be getting.
- The stock last closed at US$92.22, with returns of 2.8% over the past week, a slight decline of 0.7% over the past month, a 2.1% gain year to date, 0.9% over the last year, 48.9% over three years, and 160.4% over five years.
- Recent coverage around O'Reilly Automotive has focused on its position in the US auto parts retail sector, and how ongoing demand for maintenance and repairs may affect long term revenue resilience and store performance. Commentary has also highlighted competition from both brick and mortar peers and online channels, which can influence how investors think about the stock's risk and pricing power.
- Despite this backdrop, O'Reilly Automotive currently scores 0 out of 6 on Simply Wall St's valuation checks, as shown by its valuation score. Next comes a closer look at traditional valuation tools like P/E and discounted cash flow, followed by a different way of thinking about value at the end of the article.
O'Reilly Automotive scores just 0/6 on our valuation checks. See what other red flags we found in the full valuation breakdown.
Approach 1: O'Reilly Automotive Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis
A Discounted Cash Flow model projects the cash a company may generate in the future and then discounts those cash flows back to today, to estimate what the whole business could be worth right now.
For O'Reilly Automotive, the model used is a 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity approach. The latest twelve month free cash flow is about US$1.89b. Analyst and extrapolated projections have free cash flow reaching around US$3.06b in 2030, with a series of annual projections in between that are discounted back to present values. These projected and discounted figures are all expressed in US$ and form the basis of the intrinsic value estimate.
On Simply Wall St's numbers, this DCF output suggests an estimated intrinsic value of about US$67.76 per share. Compared with the recent share price of US$92.22, the model implies the stock is around 36.1% above this estimate, which indicates that, on this measure, O'Reilly Automotive may be trading at a premium.
Result: OVERVALUED
Our Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis suggests O'Reilly Automotive may be overvalued by 36.1%. Discover 51 high quality undervalued stocks or create your own screener to find better value opportunities.
Approach 2: O'Reilly Automotive Price vs Earnings
For a profitable company, the P/E ratio is a useful way to think about what you are paying for each dollar of earnings, which helps you compare the stock with alternatives that also generate profits.
What counts as a "normal" P/E depends on how the market views a company's growth potential and risk. Higher expected growth or lower perceived risk can support a higher multiple, while lower growth expectations or higher risk usually line up with a lower multiple.
O'Reilly Automotive currently trades at a P/E of 29.35x. This is above the Specialty Retail industry average P/E of 18.62x and also above the peer group average of 21.33x. Simply Wall St's Fair Ratio for O'Reilly Automotive is 20.04x. This represents the P/E that might be expected given factors such as its earnings growth profile, industry, profit margins, market cap and specific risks.
The Fair Ratio is more tailored than a simple peer or industry comparison because it adjusts for company specific characteristics rather than assuming one size fits all. Comparing the current P/E of 29.35x with the Fair Ratio of 20.04x suggests the stock is pricing in more than this framework implies.
Result: OVERVALUED
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Upgrade Your Decision Making: Choose your O'Reilly Automotive Narrative
Earlier it was mentioned that there is an even better way to understand valuation, so Narratives are introduced here as short, structured stories that let you set your own view on O'Reilly Automotive, link that story to forecasts for revenue, earnings and margins, and then see a Fair Value that can be compared with the current share price.
On Simply Wall St's Community page, Narratives are available as an easy tool used by millions of investors. You select or tweak assumptions and the platform connects your thesis to a live valuation model that automatically refreshes when new information, such as earnings updates or news, is added.
For O'Reilly Automotive, one investor might align with a bullish Narrative that points to a Fair Value of US$115.00 based on revenue growth of about 8.38%, profit margins near 15.08% and a future P/E of 33.92x. Another might prefer a more cautious Fair Value of about US$84.67 built on revenue growth closer to 5.77%, profit margins around 14.17% and a future P/E of 28.80x. By weighing those Fair Values against the current share price, each investor can judge whether the stock looks expensive or offers potential value according to their own expectations.
For O'Reilly Automotive however, here are previews of two leading O'Reilly Automotive Narratives:
🐂 O'Reilly Automotive Bull Case
Fair Value: US$109.70
Implied pricing versus this Fair Value: around 16.0% below that figure based on the recent US$92.22 share price
Revenue growth assumption: 6.05% a year
- Focus on higher inventory per store, broader distribution, and sourcing diversification to support product availability and margins.
- Ongoing store expansion and service quality are expected to support customer retention and long term revenue potential.
- Key watchpoints include tariffs, supply chain costs, labor and occupancy expenses, and competition from both large chains and independents.
🐻 O'Reilly Automotive Bear Case
Fair Value: US$84.67
Implied pricing versus this Fair Value: about 8.9% above that figure based on the recent US$92.22 share price
Revenue growth assumption: 5.77% a year
- Assumes pressure on the core auto parts market from electric vehicles, shared mobility, and rising online competition.
- Builds in the effect of higher labor, compliance, and inventory costs, along with more limited benefits from new store openings.
- Still factors in buybacks and operational discipline, but with a lower P/E and slightly softer margins than more optimistic scenarios.
These two narratives frame a realistic range for expectations. Use them as a starting point, adjust the assumptions to match your own view, and see how that changes the Fair Value you compare with the current share price.
To see how these results tie into long-term growth, risks, and valuation, check out the full range of community narratives for O'Reilly Automotive on Simply Wall St. Add the company to your watchlist or portfolio so you'll be alerted when the story evolves.
Do you think there's more to the story for O'Reilly Automotive? Head over to our Community to see what others are saying!
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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