O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2021 Results


  • First quarter comparable store sales increase of 24.8%
  • 63% increase in operating income; 526 basis point increase in operating margin
  • 78% increase in first quarter diluted earnings per share to $7.06

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., April 28, 2021 (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, 2021.  

1st Quarter Financial Results

Greg Johnson, O’Reilly’s CEO and Co-President, commented, “We are extremely proud to report our exceptionally strong start to 2021, highlighted by comparable store sales growth of 24.8%, which represents the strongest quarterly comparable store sales growth in our Company’s history, and a 78% increase in diluted earnings per share. Team O’Reilly once again delivered record-breaking results in the midst of continued challenges presented by the pandemic and extreme weather across much of the country, and I am extremely grateful for our over 77,000 Team Members and their relentless focus on consistently providing excellent service to our customers no matter the obstacles they face. Our top priority remains the safety and wellness of our Team Members and our customers, and I sincerely appreciate the unrelenting efforts of our Team to execute on our safety protocols, while still providing great service and generating incredible operating results.”

Sales for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021, increased $614 million, or 25%, to $3.09 billion from $2.48 billion for the same period one year ago. Gross profit for the first quarter increased 27% to $1.64 billion (or 53.1% of sales) from $1.30 billion (or 52.3% of sales) for the same period one year ago. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the first quarter increased 9% to $950 million (or 30.7% of sales) from $872 million (or 35.2% of sales) for the same period one year ago. Operating income for the first quarter increased 63% to $691 million (or 22.4% of sales) from $424 million (or 17.1% of sales) for the same period one year ago.

Net income for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021, increased $201 million, or 67%, to $502 million (or 16.2% of sales) from $300 million (or 12.1% of sales) for the same period one year ago. Diluted earnings per common share for the first quarter increased 78% to $7.06 on 71 million shares versus $3.97 on 76 million shares for the same period one year ago.

Mr. Johnson continued, “Our record-breaking top-line performance, coupled with our ongoing focus on profitable growth, drove a 63% increase in operating profit dollars for the first quarter and generated a 526 basis point increase in operating margin to 22.4%. Our sales growth for the quarter was comprised of continued, broad-based strength across our DIY and professional business and was supported by favorable winter and spring weather, as well as a significant benefit from the latest rounds of government stimulus. Based on the strength of our first quarter results, our robust performance to date in April and, most importantly, our confidence in Team O’Reilly’s ability to continue to provide industry-leading customer service, we are raising our full-year comparable store sales guidance to a range of positive 1% to 3% from our previous range of down 2% to flat. We also are increasing our full-year diluted earnings per share guidance to a range of $24.75 to $24.95, which represents an increase of $2.05 at the midpoint from our previously provided guidance. I would once again like to thank all of Team O’Reilly for your hard work and commitment to our success – your tireless efforts continue to drive our record-breaking results.”

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, as well as sales from Leap Day for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Online sales, resulting from 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 24.8% for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021, versus a decrease of 1.9% for the same period one year ago.

Share Repurchase Program

During the first quarter ended March 31, 2021, the Company repurchased 1.5 million shares of its common stock, at an average price per share of $450.65, for a total investment of $665 million. Subsequent to the end of the first quarter and through the date of this release, the Company did not repurchase any additional shares of its common stock. The Company has repurchased a total of 82.5 million shares of its common stock under its share repurchase program since the inception of the program in January of 2011 and through the date of this release, at an average price of $181.02, for a total aggregate investment of $14.93 billion. As of the date of this release, the Company had approximately $817 million remaining under its current share repurchase authorization.

Updated Full-Year 2021 Guidance

The Company still anticipates potentially significant volatility in its results, driven by the ongoing uncertainty related to the pandemic, and will update full-year guidance during 2021, as appropriate, and if needed. The table below outlines the Company’s guidance for selected updated full-year 2021 financial data:

   
     For the Year Ending
  December 31, 2021
Comparable store sales 1% to 3%
Total revenue $11.8 billion to $12.1 billion
Gross profit as a percentage of sales 52.2% to 52.7%
Operating income as a percentage of sales 19.9% to 20.4%
Effective income tax rate 23.0%
Diluted earnings per share (1) $24.75 to $24.95
Net cash provided by operating activities $1.8 billion to $2.3 billion
Capital expenditures $550 million to $650 million
Free cash flow (2) $1.1 billion to $1.4 billion


(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, 2021
Net cash provided by operating activities $1,840 to $2,265
Less:Capital expenditures  550 to  650
 Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation payments  10 to  15
 Investment in tax credit equity investments  180 to  200
Free cash flow $1,100 to $1,400

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 29, 2021, 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” and then “News Room.” Interested analysts are invited to join the call. The dial-in number for the call is (703) 375-5524 and the conference call identification number is 8509026. A replay of the conference call will be available on the Company’s website through Thursday, April 28, 2022.

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, 2021, the Company operated 5,660 stores in 47 U.S. states and 22 stores in Mexico.

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” 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 COVID-19 pandemic or other public health crises; the economy in general; inflation; consumer debt levels; product demand; the market for auto parts; competition; weather; tariffs; availability of key products; 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; historical growth rate sustainability; our ability to hire and retain qualified employees; risks associated with the performance of acquired businesses; information security and cyber-attacks; 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, 2020, 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 & Media Contacts
 Mark Merz (417) 829-5878
 Eric Bird (417) 868-4259


O’REILLY AUTOMOTIVE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share data)

          
  March 31, 2021 March 31, 2020 December 31, 2020
     (Unaudited)    (Unaudited)    (Note)
Assets         
Current assets:         
Cash and cash equivalents $ 610,880  $287,067  $465,640 
Accounts receivable, net   265,914   221,167   229,679 
Amounts receivable from suppliers   114,697   83,446   100,615 
Inventory   3,622,201   3,556,723   3,653,195 
Other current assets   73,947   53,397   50,658 
Total current assets   4,687,639   4,201,800   4,499,787 
          
Property and equipment, at cost   6,651,068   6,314,339   6,559,911 
Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization   2,538,171   2,305,695   2,464,993 
Net property and equipment   4,112,897   4,008,644   4,094,918 
          
Operating lease, right-of-use assets   2,041,096   1,935,295   1,995,127 
Goodwill   879,466   910,141   881,030 
Other assets, net   129,789   52,982   125,780 
Total assets $ 11,850,887  $11,108,862  $11,596,642 
          
Liabilities and shareholders’ equity         
Current liabilities:         
Accounts payable $ 4,318,462  $3,758,199  $4,184,662 
Self-insurance reserves   116,628   83,262   109,199 
Accrued payroll   131,927   103,804   88,875 
Accrued benefits and withholdings   195,563   72,561   242,724 
Income taxes payable   155,491   12,884   16,786 
Current portion of operating lease liabilities   329,334   316,932   322,778 
Other current liabilities   355,793   277,290   297,393 
Current portion of long-term debt   299,880       
Total current liabilities   5,903,078   4,624,932   5,262,417 
          
Long-term debt, less current portion   3,824,288   4,471,248   4,123,217 
Operating lease liabilities, less current portion   1,761,732   1,661,991   1,718,691 
Deferred income taxes   165,396   73,212   155,899 
Other liabilities   203,370   168,635   196,160 
          
Shareholders’ equity:         
Common stock, $0.01 par value:         
Authorized shares – 245,000,000         
Issued and outstanding shares –         
69,734,990 as of March 31, 2021, and         
74,199,261 as of March 31, 2020, and         
71,123,109 as of December 31, 2020   697   742   711 
Additional paid-in capital   1,274,033   1,271,250   1,280,841 
Retained deficit   (1,275,409)  (1,137,392)  (1,139,139)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (6,298)  (25,756)  (2,155)
Total shareholders’ (deficit) equity   (6,977)  108,844   140,258 
          
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 11,850,887  $11,108,862  $11,596,642 

Note: The balance sheet at December 31, 2020, 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
(In thousands, except per share data)

       
  For the Three Months Ended
  March 31, 
     2021     2020 
Sales $ 3,090,899  $2,476,487 
Cost of goods sold, including warehouse and distribution expenses   1,450,104   1,180,581 
Gross profit   1,640,795   1,295,906 
       
Selling, general and administrative expenses   949,690   872,345 
Operating income   691,105   423,561 
       
Other income (expense):        
Interest expense   (37,506)  (39,386)
Interest income   537   675 
Other, net   1,691   (5,190)
Total other expense   (35,278)  (43,901)
       
Income before income taxes   655,827   379,660 
Provision for income taxes   154,218   79,222 
Net income $ 501,609  $300,438 
       
Earnings per share-basic:        
Earnings per share $ 7.13  $4.00 
Weighted-average common shares outstanding – basic   70,383   75,022 
       
Earnings per share-assuming dilution:        
Earnings per share $ 7.06  $3.97 
Weighted-average common shares outstanding – assuming dilution   71,015   75,663 


O’REILLY AUTOMOTIVE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)

       
  For the Three Months Ended
  March 31, 
     2021     2020 
Operating activities:        
Net income $ 501,609  $300,438 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:        
Depreciation and amortization of property, equipment and intangibles   79,757   73,963 
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs   1,070   1,035 
Deferred income taxes   10,551   (58,732)
Share-based compensation programs   6,292   5,875 
Other   920   1,739 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
Accounts receivable   (37,917)  (12,208)
Inventory   30,915   (106,937)
Accounts payable   134,091   156,584 
Income taxes payable   138,196   131,949 
Other   25,188   (34,613)
Net cash provided by operating activities   890,672   459,093 
       
Investing activities:        
Purchases of property and equipment   (94,879)  (133,284)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment   2,097   1,901 
Investment in tax credit equity investments   (6)  (95,259)
Other   (969)   
Net cash used in investing activities   (93,757)  (226,642)
       
Financing activities:        
Proceeds from borrowings on revolving credit facility     1,052,000 
Payments on revolving credit facility     (969,000)
Proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt     499,795 
Payment of debt issuance costs     (2,990)
Repurchases of common stock   (664,548)  (574,052)
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock   13,557   9,800 
Other   (313)  (253)
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities   (651,304)  15,300 
       
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash   (371)  (1,090)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents   145,240   246,661 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period   465,640   40,406 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period $ 610,880  $287,067 
       
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:        
Income taxes paid $ 5,567  $4,975 
Interest paid, net of capitalized interest   37,485   46,282 


O’REILLY AUTOMOTIVE, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
(Unaudited)

        
  For the Twelve Months Ended
  March 31, 
Adjusted Debt to EBITDAR:    2021    2020
(In thousands, except adjusted debt to EBITDAR ratio)        
GAAP debt $ 4,124,168 $4,471,248
Add:Letters of credit   84,045  39,083
 Discount on senior notes   4,892  3,510
 Debt issuance costs   20,940  19,242
 Six-times rent expense   2,151,918  2,057,448
Adjusted debt $ 6,385,963 $6,590,531
       
GAAP net income $ 1,953,473 $1,370,328
Add:Interest expense   159,246  145,070
 Provision for income taxes   589,099  385,509
 Depreciation and amortization   320,429  280,874
 Share-based compensation expense   23,164  22,372
 Rent expense (i)   358,653  342,908
EBITDAR $ 3,404,064 $2,547,061
       
Adjusted debt to EBITDAR   1.88  2.59


(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, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):   
  Total lease cost, per ASC 842, for the twelve months ended March 31, 2021 $426,126
  Less:Variable non-contract operating lease components, related to property taxes and insurance, for the twelve months ended March 31, 2021  67,473
  Rent expense for the twelve months ended March 31, 2021 $358,653
 
 Total lease cost, per ASC 842, for the twelve months ended March 31, 2020  
 404,138
  Less:Variable non-contract operating lease components, related to property taxes and insurance, for the twelve months ended March 31, 2020  61,230
  Rent expense for the twelve months ended March 31, 2020 $342,908


  March 31, 
     2021 2020
Selected Balance Sheet Ratios:          
Inventory turnover (1)   1.6   1.4 
Average inventory per store (in thousands) (2) $ 637  $643 
Accounts payable to inventory (3)   119.2 %   105.7 % 


   For the Three Months Ended
   March 31, 
      2021    2020
Reconciliation of Free Cash Flow (in thousands):        
Net cash provided by operating activities $ 890,672 $459,093
Less:Capital expenditures   94,879  133,284
 Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation payments   6,007  3,380
 Investment in tax credit equity investments   6  95,259
Free cash flow $ 789,780 $227,170


         
  For the Three Months Ended  For the Twelve Months Ended
  March 31,  March 31, 
     2021     2020     2021     2020 
Store Count:        
Beginning domestic store count  5,594  5,439   5,512  5,306 
New stores opened  68  76   159  214 
Bennett stores acquired, net of stores merged (4)       (5)
Stores closed  (2) (3)  (11) (3)
Ending domestic store count  5,660  5,512   5,660  5,512 
         
Mexico stores  22  21   22  21 
Ending total store count  5,682  5,533   5,682  5,533 


             
  For the Three Months Ended  For the Twelve Months Ended
  March 31,  March 31, 
     2021    2020    2021    2020
Store and Team Member Information: (5)            
Total employment   77,383  79,778       
Square footage (in thousands)   42,191  40,908      
Sales per weighted-average square foot (6) $ 72.30 $59.82 $ 289.29 $253.12
Sales per weighted-average store (in thousands) (7) $ 539 $443 $ 2,152 $1,871


(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)O’Reilly acquired 33 Bennett Auto Supply, Inc. (“Bennett”) stores after the close of business on December 31, 2018, which were not included in the December 31, 2018, store count, as they were not operated by the Company for any portion of 2018. During the first quarter ended March 31, 2019, O’Reilly merged eight of the acquired Bennett stores into existing O’Reilly locations, and during the second quarter ended June 30, 2019, O’Reilly merged an additional five acquired Bennett stores into existing O’Reilly locations.
  
(5)Represents O’Reilly’s U.S. operations only.
  
(6)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.
  
(7)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.