greeksoup/ stock research

O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 4 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 10 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Fourth-quarter sales up 8%: Q4 sales rose $319 million, or 8%, to $4.41 billion from $4.10 billion a year earlier. Source
  • Fourth-quarter diluted EPS up 13%: Q4 diluted EPS was $0.71 on 848 million shares, against $0.63 on 870 million shares a year earlier. Source
  • Q4 SG&A above expectations: Q4 SG&A rose 7% to $1.46 billion, or 33.0% of sales, against 33.3% a year earlier; management said costs exceeded its expectations. Source
  • Q4 gross margin up to 51.8%: Q4 gross profit rose 9% to $2.29 billion; gross margin was 51.8% of sales against 51.3% a year earlier. Source
  • Q4 comparable sales up 5.6%: Q4 comparable store sales rose 5.6% on a 4.4% gain a year earlier; full-year comparable sales rose 4.7% on 2.9%, at the high end of the revised range. Source
  • Operating cash flow near $2.8 billion: Management reported $2.8 billion of net cash from operating activities in 2025, against $3.05 billion in 2024. Source

“Our Team continues to drive share gains on both sides of our business through excellent customer service and industry-leading parts availability, resulting in our fourth quarter comparable store sales growth of 5.6%.”

Brad Beckham, O’Reilly’s CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net new store openings SourceYear ending December 31, 2026225 to 235New
Comparable store sales SourceYear ending December 31, 20263.0% to 5.0%New
Total revenue SourceYear ending December 31, 2026$18.7 billion to $19.0 billionNew
Gross profit as a percentage of sales SourceYear ending December 31, 202651.5% to 52.0%New
Operating income as a percentage of sales SourceYear ending December 31, 202619.2% to 19.7%New
Effective income tax rate SourceYear ending December 31, 202622.6%New
Diluted earnings per share SourceYear ending December 31, 2026$3.10 to $3.20New
Net cash provided by operating activities SourceYear ending December 31, 2026$3.1 billion to $3.5 billionNew
Capital expenditures SourceYear ending December 31, 2026$1.3 billion to $1.4 billionNew
Free cash flow SourceYear ending December 31, 2026$1.8 billion to $2.1 billionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Full-year 2026 guidance issued for store openings, comparable sales, revenue, margins, EPS and cash flow. Source
  • Ended: The full-year 2025 guidance table, as revised in the third quarter, is replaced by the 2026 guidance.
  • New: A greenfield distribution center in Virginia is described as completed in 2025; it was not mentioned in the prior release. Source

Quarterly and full-year results

  • Fourth-quarter sales up 8%: Q4 sales rose $319 million, or 8%, to $4.41 billion from $4.10 billion a year earlier. Source
  • Fourth-quarter diluted EPS up 13%: Q4 diluted EPS was $0.71 on 848 million shares, against $0.63 on 870 million shares a year earlier. Source
  • Fourth-quarter operating income up 12%: Q4 operating income rose 12% to $829 million, or 18.8% of sales, from $739 million, or 18.0%, a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year sales up 6%: Full-year sales rose $1.07 billion, or 6%, to $17.78 billion from $16.71 billion a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year diluted EPS up 10%: Full-year diluted EPS rose 10% to $2.97 on 856 million shares, against $2.71 on 881 million shares; full-year net income rose 6% to $2.54 billion. Source

Stores, distribution and regions

  • 207 net new stores in 2025: Management said 2025 expansion added 207 net new stores across the U.S., Mexico and Canada; Q4 added 47 stores. Source
  • Virginia distribution center opened: A greenfield distribution center in Virginia was completed in 2025; management said it supports store growth in the mid-Atlantic region. Source
  • 6,585 stores at year-end: At December 31, 2025 the company operated 6,585 stores across 48 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada, up from 6,378 a year earlier. Source

“SG&A expenses again exceeded our expectations in the fourth quarter due to pressure from heightened inflation in team member health care and casualty claim costs.”

Brad Beckham, O’Reilly’s CEO

Customer mix: DIY and professional

  • Professional sales grew faster: Full-year professional service provider sales rose to $8.65 billion from $7.84 billion, about 10%; do-it-yourself sales rose about 3% to $8.77 billion. Source
  • Q4 professional sales up 13%: Q4 professional sales were $2.15 billion against $1.91 billion; Q4 do-it-yourself sales were $2.18 billion against $2.10 billion, about 4% higher. Source
  • Other sales declined: Other sales and sales adjustments were $365 million for the year against $399 million, and $84 million in Q4 against $93 million. Source

Operating costs and SG&A

  • Q4 SG&A above expectations: Q4 SG&A rose 7% to $1.46 billion, or 33.0% of sales, against 33.3% a year earlier; management said costs exceeded its expectations. Source
  • Health care and claims inflation: Management cited heightened inflation in team member health care and casualty claim costs, and said it is focused on managing expenses. Source
  • Full-year SG&A up 8%: Full-year SG&A rose 8% to $5.71 billion, or 32.1% of sales, against 31.7% a year earlier, while sales rose 6%. Source
  • Service and availability kept first: Management said it will keep prioritizing service levels and parts availability in stores, even while managing expenses. Source

“we look forward to continuing our track record of long-term profitable growth in 2026”

Brad Beckham, O’Reilly’s CEO

Gross margin and operating margin

  • Q4 gross margin up to 51.8%: Q4 gross profit rose 9% to $2.29 billion; gross margin was 51.8% of sales against 51.3% a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year gross margin up: Full-year gross profit rose 7% to $9.17 billion; gross margin was 51.6% of sales against 51.2% a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year operating margin flat: Full-year operating income rose 6% to $3.46 billion; operating margin was 19.5% of sales in both years. Source
  • Q4 net margin rose to 13.7%: Q4 net income rose 10% to $605 million, or 13.7% of sales, against 13.5% a year earlier. Source

Demand and inventory

  • Q4 comparable sales up 5.6%: Q4 comparable store sales rose 5.6% on a 4.4% gain a year earlier; full-year comparable sales rose 4.7% on 2.9%, at the high end of the revised range. Source
  • Sales per store and square foot up: Q4 sales per weighted-average store were $670 thousand against $642 thousand; full-year sales per weighted-average square foot were $345.73 against $342.32. Source
  • Payables to inventory at 123.9%: Accounts payable equaled 123.9% of inventory at year-end, down from 128.0%; inventory turnover was 1.6 against 1.7. Source

Cash flow and capital returns

  • Operating cash flow near $2.8 billion: Management reported $2.8 billion of net cash from operating activities in 2025, against $3.05 billion in 2024. Source
  • Capital spending rose to $1.17 billion: Full-year purchases of property and equipment were $1.17 billion against $1.02 billion; free cash flow was $1.56 billion against $1.99 billion. Source
  • Q4 buybacks of $500 million: Q4 repurchases were 5.2 million shares at an average $96.69, or $500 million; full-year repurchases were 22.7 million shares for $2.10 billion at $92.26. Source
  • Repurchases continued after year-end: Through the release date the company bought 1.4 million more shares for $134 million; about $2.26 billion remains under current authorizations. Source
  • Debt up; leverage ratio 2.03: GAAP debt rose to $6.02 billion from $5.52 billion; adjusted debt to EBITDAR was 2.03 against 1.99 a year earlier. Source

Team, service and employment

  • Over 93,000 Team Members: Total employment was 93,072 at year-end against 93,176 a year earlier; the CEO thanked over 93,000 Team Members for their work. Source
  • Customer service credited for growth: The CEO credited the team’s dedication to customer service for the year’s comparable sales growth and record results. Source

Track record and public history

  • 33 consecutive years of comps growth: Management said the results mark 33 consecutive years of comparable sales growth and record revenue and operating income since the April 1993 public listing. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Comparable store sales Source4.7% full year (2.9% prior year); 5.6% Q4
Inventory Source$5.73 billion at December 31, 2025
Store openings and closings SourceQ4: 47 opened, none closed; full year: 207 net new
Gross margin Source51.8% Q4; 51.6% full year

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Rising costs in team member health care and casualty claims pressured SG&A; management said it is working to mitigate these pressures. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said the company achieved its 2025 expansion targets, with 207 net new stores opened. Source
  • Not stated: Full-year 2025 comparable store sales finished at 4.7%, at the high end of the revised range. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.