O’Reilly Automotive posts record earnings in 2015

O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (Nasdaq: ORLY) produced 2015 net income of $931.2 million, a company record.

The profit amount beat 2014’s $778.2 million by nearly 20 percent, according to a news release.

The Springfield-based auto parts retailer posted diluted share earnings of $9.17 for the year, which is $1.83 higher than 2014.

“We are very proud of our record-breaking 2015 financial results, as well as the addition of 205 net, new stores and the expansion into Connecticut, our 44th state, and we are intensely focused on extending our proven record of profitable growth in 2016,” O’Reilly Automotive President and CEO Greg Henslee said in the release.

2015 financial notes:
    •    In the fourth quarter, net income rose over 20 percent to $218.6 million, or $2.19 per diluted share, from $181.7 million, or $1.76 per share, a year earlier.
    •    O’Reilly Automotive spent $1.1 billion to repurchase 4.9 million of its common stock during 2015. In its earnings release, the company announced its board approved a resolution to increase its share repurchase program by $750 million to $6.3 billion.
    •    Sales for the year were nearly $8 billion, representing a 10.8 percent increase from $7.2 billion in 2014. Comparable store sales increased 7.5 percent in 2015, compared to 6 percent a year earlier.

As of Dec. 31, O’Reilly Automotive held assets of $6.7 billion, operated 4,571 stores and employed 71,621, according to the release.

ORLY shares, which spiked as much as 4.7 percent this morning, were trading at $239.62 as of 9:36 a.m., compared to a 52-week range of $202.44 to $277.96.