O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
Rhea-AI Summary
O’Reilly Automotive (Nasdaq: ORLY) reported record first-quarter 2026 results for the period ended March 31, 2026. Sales rose 10% to $4.56 billion; comparable store sales increased 8.1%. Net income was $604 million; diluted EPS was $0.72 (up 16%). Operating income margin was 18.5%. The company repurchased 10.0 million shares for $923 million in Q1 and updated full‑year 2026 guidance: revenue $18.7–$19.0 billion; diluted EPS $3.15–$3.25; net cash from operations $3.1–$3.5 billion; 225–235 net new stores.
Positive
- Sales +10% to $4.56B
- Comparable store sales +8.1%
- Operating income +14% to $842M (18.5% margin)
- Updated FY2026 guidance: diluted EPS $3.15–$3.25
Negative
- Share count down due to repurchases: issued/outstanding 832.3M shares as of March 31, 2026
- Long-term debt increased to $6.20B
- Share repurchases used $923M in Q1, leaving ~$1.14B authorization
News Market Reaction – ORLY
In the Apr 30 session, ORLY gained 8.41%, reflecting a notable positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +3.0% during that session. Our momentum scanner triggered 37 alerts that day, indicating elevated trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Previous Earnings Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | -2.9% | Record Q3 2025 sales, higher EPS, updated full-year 2025 guidance. |
| Jul 23 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | +2.9% | Strong Q2 2025 revenue, EPS and comps; raised 2025 sales guidance. |
| Apr 23 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | -2.0% | Q1 2025 revenue and comps growth with stable full-year 2025 outlook. |
| Feb 05 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | -1.3% | Strong Q4 and full-year 2024 results with growth and new store openings. |
| Oct 23 | Quarterly earnings | Positive | +0.0% | Q3 2024 revenue and EPS growth with tightened full-year comp guidance. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Earnings releases have generally been positive fundamentally but often met with muted or negative next-day moves, suggesting a pattern of selling or profit-taking on good news.
Over the last five earnings cycles, O’Reilly has consistently reported record or growing sales, expanding EPS, and steady comparable store sales growth. Prior updates highlighted revenue in the $4.3–4.7B quarterly range, net income above $665M, and repeated guidance for mid-single-digit comps and rising EPS. Despite this, three of five tagged earnings events saw negative 24-hour price reactions, indicating that strong fundamentals have not always translated into immediate share gains.
Key Terms
comparable store sales financial
gross profit financial
operating income financial
free cash flow financial
non-gaap financial measure financial
ebitdar financial
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
- First quarter comparable store sales growth of
8.1% 16% increase in first quarter diluted earnings per share to$0.72 $1 billion net cash provided by operating activities year-to-date
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., April 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (the “Company” or “O’Reilly”) (Nasdaq: ORLY), a leading retailer in the automotive aftermarket industry, today announced record revenue and earnings for its first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
1st Quarter Financial Results
Brad Beckham, O’Reilly’s CEO, commented, “We are pleased to report a strong start to 2026, highlighted by an
Sales for the first quarter of 2026 increased
Net income for the first quarter of 2026 increased
1st Quarter Comparable Store Sales Results
Comparable store sales are calculated based on the change in sales for U.S. stores open at least one year and exclude sales of specialty machinery, sales to independent parts stores, and sales to Team Members. Online sales for ship-to-home orders and pick-up-in-store orders for U.S. stores open at least one year are included in the comparable store sales calculation. Comparable store sales increased
Share Repurchase Program
During the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, the Company repurchased 10.0 million shares of its common stock, at an average price per share of
Updated Full-Year 2026 Guidance
The table below outlines the Company’s updated guidance for selected full-year 2026 financial data:
| For the Year Ending | |||
| December 31, 2026 | |||
| Net, new store openings | 225 to 235 | ||
| Comparable store sales | |||
| Total revenue | |||
| Gross profit as a percentage of sales | |||
| Operating income as a percentage of sales | |||
| Effective income tax rate | |||
| Diluted earnings per share(1) | |||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | |||
| Capital expenditures | |||
| Free cash flow(2) | |||
| (1) | Weighted-average shares outstanding, assuming dilution, used in the denominator of this calculation, includes share repurchases made by the Company through the date of this release. |
| (2) | Free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure. The table below reconciles Free cash flow guidance to Net cash provided by operating activities guidance, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure: |
| For the Year Ending | ||||||||||
| (in millions) | December 31, 2026 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 3,110 | to | $ | 3,520 | |||||
| Less: | Capital expenditures | 1,300 | to | 1,400 | ||||||
| Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation payments | 10 | to | 20 | |||||||
| Free cash flow | $ | 1,800 | to | $ | 2,100 | |||||
Non-GAAP Information
This release contains certain financial information not derived in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). These items include adjusted debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, share-based compensation, and rent (“EBITDAR”) and free cash flow. The Company does not, nor does it suggest investors should, consider such non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, or as a substitute for, GAAP financial information. The Company believes that the presentation of adjusted debt to EBITDAR and free cash flow provide meaningful supplemental information to both management and investors that is indicative of the Company’s core operations. The Company has included a reconciliation of this additional information to the most comparable GAAP measure in the table above and the selected financial information below.
Earnings Conference Call Information
The Company will host a conference call on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Central Time to discuss its results as well as future expectations. Investors may listen to the conference call live on the Company’s website at www.OReillyAuto.com by clicking on “Investor Relations.” Interested analysts are invited to join the call. The dial-in number for the call is (888) 506-0062 and the conference call identification number is 264620. A replay of the conference call will be available on the Company’s website through Thursday, April 29, 2027.
About O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.
O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. was founded in 1957 by the O’Reilly family and is one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories in the United States, serving both the do-it-yourself and professional service provider markets. Visit the Company’s website at www.OReillyAuto.com for additional information about O’Reilly, including access to online shopping and current promotions, store locations, hours and services, employment opportunities, and other programs. As of March 31, 2026, the Company operated 6,644 stores across 48 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada.
Forward-Looking Statements
The Company claims the protection of the safe-harbor for forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “estimate,” “may,” “could,” “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “would,” “consider,” “should,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend,” “guidance,” “target,” or similar words. In addition, statements contained within this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, such as statements discussing, among other things, expected growth, store development, integration and expansion strategy, business strategies, future revenues, and future performance. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates, projections, beliefs, and assumptions and are not guarantees of future events and results. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, but not limited to, the economy in general; inflation; consumer debt levels; product demand; a public health crisis; the market for auto parts; competition; weather; trade disputes and changes in trade policies, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs; availability of key products and supply chain disruptions; business interruptions, including terrorist activities, war and the threat of war; failure to protect our brand and reputation; challenges in international markets; volatility of the market price of our common stock; our increased debt levels; credit ratings on public debt; damage, failure, or interruption of information technology systems, including information security and cyber-attacks; historical growth rate sustainability; our ability to hire and retain qualified employees; risks associated with the performance of acquired businesses; and governmental regulations. Actual results may materially differ from anticipated results described or implied in these forward-looking statements. Please refer to the “Risk Factors” section of the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission filings, for additional factors that could materially affect the Company’s financial performance. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
| For further information contact: | Investor Relations Contacts |
| Leslie Skorick (417) 874-7142 | |
| Eric Bird (417) 868-4259 | |
| Media Contact | |
| Sonya Cox (417) 427-8071 | |
| O’REILLY AUTOMOTIVE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (In thousands, except share data) | ||||||||||||
| March 31, 2026 | March 31, 2025 | December 31, 2025 | ||||||||||
| (Unaudited) | (Unaudited) | (Note) | ||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 252,632 | $ | 191,248 | $ | 193,793 | ||||||
| Accounts receivable, net | 431,173 | 392,168 | 389,793 | |||||||||
| Amounts receivable from suppliers | 165,033 | 129,921 | 159,900 | |||||||||
| Inventory | 5,810,121 | 5,172,436 | 5,731,385 | |||||||||
| Other current assets | 308,377 | 143,694 | 269,406 | |||||||||
| Total current assets | 6,967,336 | 6,029,467 | 6,744,277 | |||||||||
| Property and equipment, at cost | 10,440,524 | 9,450,387 | 10,222,249 | |||||||||
| Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization | 4,065,527 | 3,684,666 | 3,964,824 | |||||||||
| Net property and equipment | 6,374,997 | 5,765,721 | 6,257,425 | |||||||||
| Operating lease, right-of-use assets | 2,450,393 | 2,374,177 | 2,391,150 | |||||||||
| Goodwill | 953,035 | 933,130 | 948,208 | |||||||||
| Other assets, net | 191,417 | 191,380 | 197,193 | |||||||||
| Total assets | $ | 16,937,178 | $ | 15,293,875 | $ | 16,538,253 | ||||||
| Liabilities and shareholders’ deficit | ||||||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 7,237,126 | $ | 6,535,532 | $ | 7,103,684 | ||||||
| Self-insurance reserves | 321,896 | 154,013 | 297,304 | |||||||||
| Accrued payroll | 152,357 | 132,965 | 119,603 | |||||||||
| Accrued benefits and withholdings | 256,015 | 214,547 | 240,072 | |||||||||
| Income taxes payable | 6,996 | 137,142 | 13,957 | |||||||||
| Current portion of operating lease liabilities | 445,416 | 425,330 | 439,907 | |||||||||
| Other current liabilities | 804,462 | 910,977 | 561,294 | |||||||||
| Total current liabilities | 9,224,268 | 8,510,506 | 8,775,821 | |||||||||
| Long-term debt | 6,195,311 | 5,651,821 | 6,016,904 | |||||||||
| Operating lease liabilities, less current portion | 2,090,498 | 2,026,668 | 2,034,688 | |||||||||
| Deferred income taxes | 224,411 | 236,572 | 211,210 | |||||||||
| Other liabilities | 269,745 | 225,764 | 262,982 | |||||||||
| Shareholders’ equity (deficit): | ||||||||||||
| Common stock, | ||||||||||||
| Authorized shares – 1,250,000,000 | ||||||||||||
| Issued and outstanding shares – | ||||||||||||
| 832,292,716 as of March 31, 2026, | ||||||||||||
| 856,702,725 as of March 31, 2025, and | ||||||||||||
| 841,909,238 as of December 31, 2025 | 8,323 | 8,567 | 8,419 | |||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 1,537,430 | 1,476,741 | 1,530,292 | |||||||||
| Retained deficit | (2,638,068 | ) | (2,805,929 | ) | (2,328,817 | ) | ||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | 25,260 | (36,835 | ) | 26,754 | ||||||||
| Total shareholders’ deficit | (1,067,055 | ) | (1,357,456 | ) | (763,352 | ) | ||||||
| Total liabilities and shareholders’ deficit | $ | 16,937,178 | $ | 15,293,875 | $ | 16,538,253 | ||||||
Note: The balance sheet at December 31, 2025, has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by United States generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.
| O’REILLY AUTOMOTIVE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited) (In thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||
| For the Three Months Ended | ||||||||
| March 31, | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||
| Sales | $ | 4,560,539 | $ | 4,136,924 | ||||
| Cost of goods sold, including warehouse and distribution expenses | 2,213,328 | 2,015,439 | ||||||
| Gross profit | 2,347,211 | 2,121,485 | ||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 1,505,603 | 1,380,019 | ||||||
| Operating income | 841,608 | 741,466 | ||||||
| Other income (expense): | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (62,745 | ) | (57,564 | ) | ||||
| Interest income | 1,748 | 1,664 | ||||||
| Other, net | (522 | ) | (1,215 | ) | ||||
| Total other expense | (61,519 | ) | (57,115 | ) | ||||
| Income before income taxes | 780,089 | 684,351 | ||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 175,908 | 145,866 | ||||||
| Net income | $ | 604,181 | $ | 538,485 | ||||
| Earnings per share-basic: | ||||||||
| Earnings per share | $ | 0.72 | $ | 0.63 | ||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding – basic | 838,578 | 859,564 | ||||||
| Earnings per share-assuming dilution: | ||||||||
| Earnings per share | $ | 0.72 | $ | 0.62 | ||||
| Weighted-average common shares outstanding – assuming dilution | 842,516 | 864,331 | ||||||
| O’REILLY AUTOMOTIVE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited) (In thousands) | ||||||||
| For the Three Months Ended | ||||||||
| March 31, | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||
| Operating activities: | ||||||||
| Net income | $ | 604,181 | $ | 538,485 | ||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization of property, equipment and intangibles | 135,361 | 122,224 | ||||||
| Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs | 1,887 | 1,851 | ||||||
| Deferred income taxes | 13,291 | (11,159 | ) | |||||
| Share-based compensation programs | 8,816 | 8,444 | ||||||
| Other | 1,987 | 3,191 | ||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable | (45,716 | ) | (37,758 | ) | ||||
| Inventory | (79,069 | ) | (75,081 | ) | ||||
| Accounts payable | 135,531 | 9,952 | ||||||
| Income taxes payable | 951 | 138,513 | ||||||
| Other | 255,693 | 56,458 | ||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 1,032,913 | 755,120 | ||||||
| Investing activities: | ||||||||
| Purchases of property and equipment | (244,447 | ) | (286,951 | ) | ||||
| Proceeds from sale of property and equipment | 1,542 | 1,948 | ||||||
| Other, including acquisitions, net of cash acquired | (1,751 | ) | — | |||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (244,656 | ) | (285,003 | ) | ||||
| Financing activities: | ||||||||
| Net (payments) proceeds of commercial paper | (163,887 | ) | 129,288 | |||||
| Proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt | 847,365 | — | ||||||
| Principal payments on long-term debt | (500,000 | ) | — | |||||
| Payment of debt issuance costs | (5,909 | ) | (3,801 | ) | ||||
| Repurchases of common stock | (922,947 | ) | (559,432 | ) | ||||
| Net proceeds from issuance of common stock | 16,609 | 24,926 | ||||||
| Other | (270 | ) | (433 | ) | ||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (729,039 | ) | (409,452 | ) | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash | (379 | ) | 338 | |||||
| Net increase in cash and cash equivalents | 58,839 | 61,003 | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period | 193,793 | 130,245 | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period | $ | 252,632 | $ | 191,248 | ||||
| Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information: | ||||||||
| Income taxes paid | $ | 18,909 | $ | 16,904 | ||||
| Interest paid, net of capitalized interest | 43,544 | 39,424 | ||||||
| O’REILLY AUTOMOTIVE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Unaudited) | |||||||
| For the Twelve Months Ended | |||||||
| March 31, | |||||||
| Adjusted Debt to EBITDAR: | 2026 | 2025 | |||||
| (In thousands, except adjusted debt to EBITDAR ratio) | |||||||
| GAAP debt | $ | 6,195,311 | $ | 5,651,821 | |||
| Add: | Letters of credit | 197,892 | 127,264 | ||||
| Unamortized discount and debt issuance costs | 29,689 | 27,679 | |||||
| Six-times rent expense | 2,986,494 | 2,771,640 | |||||
| Adjusted debt | $ | 9,409,386 | $ | 8,578,404 | |||
| GAAP net income | $ | 2,603,905 | $ | 2,377,927 | |||
| Add: | Interest expense | 240,245 | 222,964 | ||||
| Provision for income taxes | 732,004 | 651,098 | |||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 524,367 | 474,468 | |||||
| Share-based compensation expense | 35,487 | 30,353 | |||||
| Rent expense(i) | 497,749 | 461,940 | |||||
| EBITDAR | $ | 4,633,757 | $ | 4,218,750 | |||
| Adjusted debt to EBITDAR | 2.03 | 2.03 | |||||
| (i) | The table below outlines the calculation of Rent expense and reconciles Rent expense to Total lease cost, per ASC 842, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, for the twelve months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 (in thousands): |
| For the Twelve Months Ended | ||||||||
| March 31, | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||
| Total lease cost, per ASC 842 | $ | 598,987 | $ | 558,415 | ||||
| Less: | Variable non-contract operating lease components, related to property taxes and insurance | 101,238 | 96,475 | |||||
| Rent expense | $ | 497,749 | $ | 461,940 | ||||
| March 31, | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||||
| Selected Balance Sheet Ratios: | ||||||||
| Inventory turnover(1) | 1.6 | 1.6 | ||||||
| Average inventory per store (in thousands)(2) | $ | 874 | $ | 806 | ||||
| Accounts payable to inventory(3) | 124.6 | % | 126.4 | % | ||||
| For the Three Months Ended | |||||||
| March 31, | |||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | ||||||
| Reconciliation of Free Cash Flow (in thousands): | |||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 1,032,913 | $ | 755,120 | |||
| Less: | Capital expenditures | 244,447 | 286,951 | ||||
| Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation payments | 3,352 | 12,925 | |||||
| Free cash flow | $ | 785,114 | $ | 455,244 | |||
| For the Three Months Ended | ||||||
| March 31, | ||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | |||||
| Revenue Disaggregation (in thousands): | ||||||
| Sales to do-it-yourself customers | $ | 2,190,132 | $ | 2,051,859 | ||
| Sales to professional service provider customers | 2,290,784 | 1,998,593 | ||||
| Other sales and sales adjustments | 79,623 | 86,472 | ||||
| Total sales | $ | 4,560,539 | $ | 4,136,924 | ||
| For the Three Months Ended | For the Twelve Months Ended | |||||||||
| March 31, | March 31, | |||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | |||||||
| Store Count: | ||||||||||
| Beginning domestic store count | 6,447 | 6,265 | 6,298 | 6,131 | ||||||
| New stores opened | 48 | 33 | 197 | 167 | ||||||
| Stores closed | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| Ending domestic store count | 6,495 | 6,298 | 6,495 | 6,298 | ||||||
| Beginning Mexico store count | 112 | 87 | 93 | 63 | ||||||
| New stores opened | 9 | 6 | 28 | 30 | ||||||
| Stores closed | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| Ending Mexico store count | 121 | 93 | 121 | 93 | ||||||
| Beginning Canada store count | 26 | 26 | 25 | 23 | ||||||
| New stores opened | 2 | — | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| Stores closed | — | (1 | ) | — | (1 | ) | ||||
| Ending Canada store count | 28 | 25 | 28 | 25 | ||||||
| Total ending store count | 6,644 | 6,416 | 6,644 | 6,416 | ||||||
| For the Three Months Ended | For the Twelve Months Ended | |||||||||||
| March 31, | March 31, | |||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | |||||||||
| Store and Team Member Information: | ||||||||||||
| Total employment | 93,973 | 93,419 | ||||||||||
| Square footage (in thousands)(4) | 52,229 | 49,371 | ||||||||||
| Sales per weighted-average square foot(4)(5) | $ | 85.94 | $ | 82.22 | $ | 349.36 | $ | 341.85 | ||||
| Sales per weighted-average store (in thousands)(4)(6) | $ | 688 | $ | 643 | $ | 2,774 | $ | 2,650 | ||||
| (1) | Calculated as cost of goods sold for the last 12 months divided by average inventory. Average inventory is calculated as the average of inventory for the trailing four quarters used in determining the denominator. |
| (2) | Calculated as inventory divided by store count at the end of the reported period. |
| (3) | Calculated as accounts payable divided by inventory. |
| (4) | Represents O’Reilly’s U.S. and Puerto Rico operations only. |
| (5) | Calculated as sales less jobber sales, divided by weighted-average square footage. Weighted-average square footage is determined by weighting store square footage based on the approximate dates of store openings, acquisitions, expansions, or closures. |
| (6) | Calculated as sales less jobber sales, divided by weighted-average stores. Weighted-average stores is determined by weighting stores based on their approximate dates of openings, acquisitions, or closures. |
