Sales, profits accelerate at O'Reilly Automotive

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— A down economy means people are less likely to buy new cars, which means they will need to take care of the ones they do have, and that's good news for companies like O'Reilly Automotive, which reported sales and earnings growth for the third quarter.



O’Reilly Automotive announced that sales for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, increased 8% to $1.54 billion from $1.43billion for the same period one year ago.Net income for the third quarter increased $32 million, or 27%, to $148 millionfrom $117 million (or 8.2% of sales) for the same period one year ago. Diluted earnings per common share forthe third quarter increased 34% to $1.10 versus 82 cents for the same period one year ago.

Commenting on the company’s quarterly results, Greg Henslee, co-president and CEO stated, “We are pleased toreport another successful quarter. Our results are highlighted by a solid 4.8% comparable-store sales increase on top ofan extremely strong comparable-store sales increase of 11.1% last year, a 50 basis point improvement in gross marginand a record-breaking 15.7% operating margin. The continued trend of solid comparable-store sales increases is thedirect result of the hard work and commitment to unsurpassed customer service from each of our dedicated team members. Our relentless focus on expense control, at all levels, led to the 130 basis point improvement in adjustedoperating margin. I am very pleased with the performance of team O’Reilly and would like to thank all of our teammembers for their commitment to exceeding customer expectations.”

During the quarter, the company opened 50 new stores, bringing its store count to 3,707 in 39 states.

For the fourth quarter, O'Reilly Automotive is expecting comparable-store sales to increase 3% to 5% and diluted earnings per share to be between 80 cents to 84 cents.