In this economy, with its geopolitical risk and event risk, expect short-term profit taking, and that's probably what occurred recently with auto parts giant O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY), which I first wrote about here on May 18, 2009, at a price of $37.02.

O'Reilly retreated about 10% from $63 to roughly $55 in the first two months of this year, and it looks like profit taking: ORLY had traded below $33 in 2010.

That said, investors who didn't catch the first O'Reilly elevator up should view the pullback as a buy opportunity.

Continue reading Has O'Reilly Automotive's Pullback Created an Opportunity?

Has O'Reilly Automotive's Pullback Created an Opportunity? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading O'Reilly Automotive: Time to Take Some Profits off the Table?

O'Reilly Automotive: Time to Take Some Profits off the Table? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Best Buy (BBY) was upgraded to top pick from outperform at RBC Capital, as the firm thinks the company's valuation is inexpensive while it will perform well during the holiday season.
• Credit Suisse upgraded CF Industries (CF) to outperform from neutral, citing favorable fundamentals in nitrogen and phosphate markets.
• Canadian Solar (CSIQ) was raised to buy from hold by Jefferies, which cited expectations for higher selling prices next year and cost savings from sourcing more components internally.
• BMO Capital upgraded RC2 Corp. (RCRC) to outperform from market perform as the firm believes that RC2's baby products are performing better than previously expected.
• Ericsson (ERIC) was upgraded to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merril.
• ProLogis (PLD) was upgraded to buy from hold at Stifel Nicolaus.
• Constellation Energy (CEG) was upgraded to outperform from neutral at Macquarie.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ABC, BBY, CF, CSIQ, ERIC, MO, N, NAV, ORLY, PCAR, RCRC, SYY ...

Analyst Calls: ABC, BBY, CF, CSIQ, ERIC, MO, N, NAV, ORLY, PCAR, RCRC, SYY ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This is a market for boring stocks. By that I mean, given that objective economic events seem to diametrically alter the investing landscape every few days or so, you need a few "totally un-sexy" plays that perform despite the aforementioned tumult.

And auto parts giant O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY), which I first wrote about here on May 18, 2009 at a price of $37.02, fits the bill.

O'Reilly's 2010 revenue should increase 9% to 12%, including revenue from an acquisition. Same store sales should increase 5% to 7%. Margins will likely increase.

Continue reading O'Reilly Automotive: A Stock That's Right for the Times

O'Reilly Automotive: A Stock That's Right for the Times originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading O'Reilly Automotive Likes the Used Car Sales Trend

O'Reilly Automotive Likes the Used Car Sales Trend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 May 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Stephens upgraded Schlumberger (SLB) to overweight from equal weight with an $80 price target, citing valuation and the company's international activity.
• Roth Capital upgraded Synutra International (SYUT) to buy from hold, citing the company's improved outlook, increased market share and valuation. The firm has a $27 target on shares.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Progressive (PGR) to perform from underperform as it believes the company's focus on growth could move shares higher in the near-term.
• Inergy Holdings (NRGP) was upgraded to buy from hold at Wunderlich.
• Best Buy (BBY) was upgraded to hold from sell at Societe Generale.
• Vale SA (VALE) was upgraded to buy from hold at Canaccord.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: BBY, BF.B, EEP, K, ORLY, PGR, SLB, SWK, TAP ...

Analyst Calls: BBY, BF.B, EEP, K, ORLY, PGR, SLB, SWK, TAP ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Auto parts giant O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY), first written about here on May 18, 2009, at a price of $37.02, is one of those low-profile companies that shareholders want to remain low-profile. Leave the glitz and pomp to other companies. So long as ORLY produces solid earnings growth, that's all that matters.

And it goes without saying that I still like the shares. The used-car maintenance trend in the United States isn't ending anytime soon. Also, frugal consumers in the U.S. can delay getting maintenance done on their used vehicles for only so long. Critical maintenance must be performed, eventually. Further, the U.S. auto fleet's increasing age provides another tailwind for sales. The First Call FY2009/FY2010 EPS estimates for ORLY are $2.24 to $2.61.

Continue reading Ride the Used Car Repair Wave with O'Reilly Automotive

Ride the Used Car Repair Wave with O'Reilly Automotive originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As so often happens at this point in the earnings season, focus begins to shift to the results from retailers. And the world's largest retailer is among those that step into the spot light this week.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters are looking for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), which was aggressively competitive during the holiday shopping season and also recently announced a new global strategy, to report fourth-quarter earnings of $1.12 per share, up from $1.03 per share in the year-ago period. Revenue for the three months that ended in January is expected to have risen 4.9% to $114.5 billion. The full-year forecast calls for earnings of $3.61 per share (+5.3%) on $409.1 billion in revenue (+0.9%). Walmart has not missed earnings estimates in the past five quarters.

Continue reading The Week in Preview: A First Look at Retail: Walmart, JCPenney and Others

The Week in Preview: A First Look at Retail: Walmart, JCPenney and Others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

So this earnings season hasn't turned out as bad as some had feared. In fact, we've seen some pretty stellar results from the likes of Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO).

Then there was the Fed's Beige Book report, which suggested that the U.S. economy had stabilized -- and even improved a bit in some sectors.

Well, the earnings crunch rolls on this coming week leading up to Halloween. Do analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect more treats or tricks from coming quarterly reports?

Continue reading The week in preview: Trick or treat earnings?

The week in preview: Trick or treat earnings? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Consider O'Reilly Automotive, due to the used car repair trend

Consider O'Reilly Automotive, due to the used car repair trend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The earnings crunch rolls on this coming week, with quarterly reports expected from Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Kellogg (NYSE: K), MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), Travelers (NYSE: TRV), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), and many others.

Below are some reporting companies for which analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters have high hopes. What does that mean? Well, all of them are expected to report double-digit earnings grown in the most recent quarter. They have tended to offer positive surprises in recent quarters. They have long-term EPS growth forecasts of greater than 10%, and they have earnings multiples that are higher than their industry or sector averages, or higher than at least one top competitor. And they all have First Call consensus recommendations to buy.

Continue reading The week in preview: Some expected earnings winners

The week in preview: Some expected earnings winners originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading O'Reilly Automotive knows auto repair budgets are the last to be cut

O'Reilly Automotive knows auto repair budgets are the last to be cut originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 May 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Citigroup upgraded Patriot Coal (NYSE: PCX) to Hold from Sell on easing credit and liquidity concerns following the company's guidance. The firm raised its target on the stock to $7.50 from $4.
  
• UBS upgraded Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) to Buy from Neutral and raised their target to $90 from $65 as they expect pent-up replacement demand in enterprise to drive 2010 estimates higher and for the consumer smartphone opportunity to grow in 2009 and 2010.
  
• Goldman upgraded Suncor (NYSE: SU) to Conviction Buy from Sell and raised their target to $33 from $25 citing their bullish view on crude oil for 2H09 and 2010 and in the company's ability to lower operating and capital costs in the oil sands region.
• Canadian National (CNI) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
  
• Applied Micro Circuits (NASDAQ: AMCC) was lifted at Oppenheimer to Overweight from Neutral.
  
• QLogic (NASDAQ: QLGC) was upgraded to Outperform from Neutral at Baird.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: RIMM, MCD, ORLY, CELG, URBN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: RIMM, MCD, ORLY, CELG, URBN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Auto parts company O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY- option chain) is one of the newest additions to the S&P 500 Index (SPX). Standard & Poor's announced late Thursday that ORLY will join the venerable index after the close of trading on March 26, where it will replace Noble Corp. (NYSE: NE).

The news caps off a pretty good week for ORLY; on Wednesday, Robert W. Baird initiated coverage of the stock with an "outperform" rating, and the equity tagged a new 52-week high of $36.17 in Thursday's session.

Continue reading O'Reilly Automotive revs higher, joins the S&P 500

O'Reilly Automotive revs higher, joins the S&P 500 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Leo Fasciocco is a technician focused on "breakout" stocks; in his Ticker Tape Digest, two recent such breakout ideas were both from the out-of-favor auto parts sector: O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY) and Autozone (NYSE: AZO).

Noting the recent strength in these auto parts stocks -- both have recently rose to new 52-week highs despite the market's sharp declines -- the advisor explains, "Auto parts stocks may see strong product demand as more people keep their car and not buy a new one."

"O'Reilly Automotive is one of the largest specialty retailers of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories in the U.S, with annual revenues of $3.1 billion.

Continue reading Auto parts buck downtrend: Autozone (AZO) & O'Reilly (ORLY)

Auto parts buck downtrend: Autozone (AZO) & O'Reilly (ORLY) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB) reported solid Q2 numbers despite competition from store brands.
• DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. (NYSE: DWA) missed Q4 expectations, sending shares lower.
• First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) said Q4 profit more than doubled due to strong demand.
• Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) posted a lower-than-expected profit on soft sales and lower margins.
• Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. (NASDAQ: HSII) earnings and revenue declined in Q4.
• Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) earnings beat low expectations even as revenue continued to decline.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Campbell, Sears, Home Depot, Nordstrom, Marvel and more

Earnings highlights: Campbell, Sears, Home Depot, Nordstrom, Marvel and more originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• Barclays upgraded Spectra Energy (NYSE: SE) to Overweight from Equal Weight. The firm believes Spectra's valuation is attractive and that the dividend is secure.
• Soleil upgraded Sunoco (NYSE: SUN) to Buy from Hold on valuation following the recent pullback and maintains a $45 target on the stock.
  
• Friedman Billings upgraded O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY) to Outperform from Underperform on valuation and the company's better than expected sales and earnings acceleration. The firm has a $38 target on the stock.
• Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) was removed from Goldman's Conviction Sell List.
  
• Intercontinental Hotels (NYSE: IHG) was raised to Buy from Hold at Jefferies.
  
• Valspar (NYSE: VAL) was lifted to Neutral from Underweight at JP Morgan.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: SUN, DAI, BDX, ITRN ...

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: SUN, DAI, BDX, ITRN ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Credit Suisse upgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE: NVS) to Neutral from Underperform as they believe the stock's defensive characteristics justify a premium valuation.
  
• Merrill raised Dreamworks (NYSE: DWA) to Buy from Neutral and has increased confidence in DWA's sustainable success following the performance of Kung Fu Panda and new revenue streams.
  
• Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) was raised to Buy from Hold at Stanford on valuation.
  
• Goldman upgraded Smurfit-Stone (NASDAQ: SSCC) and Canadian National (NYSE: CNI) to Buy from Neutral and added International Paper (NYSE: IP) to the Conviction Buy List.
  
• Northern Trust (NASDAQ: NTRS) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Merrill.

• Jefferies downgraded shares of Savvis (NASDAQ: SVVS) to Hold from Buy and lowered the target to $17 from $20 to reflect decreasing visibility from economic headwinds and expectations for increased capex.
  
• Citigroup downgraded Regions Financial (NYSE: RF) to Sell from Hold as they believe fundamentals are not in-line with the current valuation following the recent rally.
  
• Merrill lowered their General Electric (NYSE: GE) estimates below consensus and downgraded shares to Neutral from Buy citing increased fundamental pressures on the company's GE Capital unit. GE's target was cut to $28 from $37.50.

Continue reading Analyst calls: NVS, DWA, APC, RF, GE, MTB, BYD, NWL ...

Analyst calls: NVS, DWA, APC, RF, GE, MTB, BYD, NWL ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• JMP Securities upgraded Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) to Outperform from Market Perform based on valuation.
  
• Goldman Sachs upgraded Chico's (NYSE: CHS) to Neutral from Sell based on valuation.
• Blue Coat (NASDAQ: BCSI) was raised to Hold from Sell by Brean Murray.

• UBS dropped Burger King (NYSE: BKC) to Neutral from Buy due to the company's slowing sales trends and commodity pressure.
  
• Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) was downgraded to Sell from Neutral by Banc of America based on valuation.
  
• Pacific Sunwear (NASDAQ: PSUN) was downgraded to Neutral from Outperform by Baird, which cited the company's Q2 results and reduced guidance.

• UBS initiated O'Reilly (NASDAQ: ORLY) with a Buy because they are positive on its recent CSK Auto acquisition and its valuation.
  
• Baird started Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED) with an Outperform because they view the recent pullback in the shares as a compelling entry point.

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• JP Morgan upgraded O'Reilly (NASDAQ: ORLY) to Overweight from Neutral, citing increased demand and CSK acquisition synergies.
  
• Yamana Gold (NYSE: AUY) was raised to Outperform from Sector Perform by RBC Capital, based on valuation and the firm's expectation that gold will rally.
  
• HSBC upgraded KLA-Tencor (NASDAQ: KLAC) to Overweight from Neutral with a $44 target.

• Bernstein dropped DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH) to Underperform from Market Perform, citing continued weak operations, declining cash flow, and satellite sector headwinds, among other reasons.
  
• Macy's (NYSE: M) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy by Goldman Sachs based on valuation.
  
• Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) was also dropped to Neutral from Buy by Goldman based on valuation.
  
• UBS downgraded Dr Pepper Snapple (NYSE: DPS) to Neutral from Buy based on valuation.

• Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) was started with a Buy rating by Kaufman Bros., which believes the core on-demand CRM application market is nowhere close to full penetration.
  
• Caris initiated Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) with a Below Average rating, citing the company's Zyprexa and Cymbalta patent expirations.
  
• Leerink Swann assumed coverage of Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) with an Outperform, as the firm predicts that the company's denosumab will allow the company to substantially increase its earnings starting in 2010.

Analyst calls: ORLY, DISH, M, KSS, DPS, CRM, LLY ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.