Sifting through countless of stocks in the Specialty Retail industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc.

AutoZone, Inc. operates as a retailer and distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil. The company offers a product line for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light duty trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. It also provides A/C compressors, batteries and accessories, bearings, belts and hoses, calipers, chassis, clutches, CV axles, engines, fuel pumps, fuses, ignition and lighting products, mufflers, radiators, starters and alternators, thermostats, and water pumps, as well as tire repairs. In addition, the company provides maintenance products, such as antifreeze and windshield washer fluids; brake drums, rotors, shoes, and pads; brake and power steering fluids, and oil and fuel additives; oil and transmission fluids; oil, cabin, air, fuel, and transmission filters; oxygen sensors; paints and accessories; refrigerants and accessories; shock absorbers and struts; spark plugs and wires; and windshield wipers. Further, it offers air fresheners, cell phone accessories, drinks and snacks, floor mats and seat covers, interior and exterior accessories, mirrors, performance products, protectants and cleaners, sealants and adhesives, steering wheel covers, tools, vehicle entertainment systems, and wash and wax products, as well as towing services. Additionally, the company provides a sales program that offers commercial credit and delivery of parts and other products; sells automotive diagnostic, repair, collision, and shop management information software under the ALLDATA brand through alldata.com; Duralast branded products through duralastparts.com; and automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products through autozone.com. AutoZone, Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.

O'Reilly Automotive, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer and supplier of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment, and accessories in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada. The company offers new and remanufactured automotive hard parts and maintenance items, such as alternators, batteries, brake system components, belts, chassis parts, driveline parts, engine parts, fuel pumps, hoses, starters, temperature control, water pumps, antifreeze, appearance products, engine additives, filters, fluids, lighting products, and oil and wiper blades; and accessories, including floor mats, seat covers, and truck accessories. It also provides auto body paint and related materials, automotive tools, and professional service provider service equipment. In addition, the company offers enhanced services and programs consisting of used oil, oil filter, and battery recycling; battery, wiper, and bulb replacement; battery diagnostic testing; electrical and module testing; check engine light code extraction; loaner tool program; referrals to trusted local repair shops; drum and rotor resurfacing; custom hydraulic hoses; and professional paint shop mixing and related materials. It offers its products to do-it-yourself and professional service providers for domestic and imported automobiles, vans, and trucks. It offers its products under the BesTest, BrakeBest, Cartek, Import Direct, MasterPro, MicroGard, Murray, Omnispark, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Precision, PowerTorque, SuperStart, Syntec, and Ultima brand names. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri.

Latest Specialty Retail and AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. Stock News

As of March 11, 2026, AutoZone, Inc. had a $61.5 billion market capitalization, compared to the Specialty Retail median of $910.1 million. AutoZone, Inc.’s stock is up 8.2% in 2026, down 1.9% in the previous five trading days and up 0.6% in the past year.

Currently, AutoZone, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 25.9. AutoZone, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $19.3 billion with a 12.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 8.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $148.476 per share for the current fiscal year. AutoZone, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of March 11, 2026, O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. had a $79.1 billion market cap, putting it in the 96th percentile of all stocks. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.’s stock is up 3.7% in 2026, up 0.2% in the previous five trading days and up 5.14% in the past year.

Currently, O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 31.8. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $17.8 billion with a 14.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 7.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.224 per share for the current fiscal year. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

Learn more about A+ Investor here!

Sign Up to Receive a Free Special Report Showing How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Smarter Investment Decisions

AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
AutoZone, Inc.	AZO	A
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.	ORLY	A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

AutoZone, Inc. has a Growth Score of 100, which is Very Strong. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. has a Growth Score of 100, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Growth Grade breakdown above, both AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc. have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s upward growth, further research should be conducted into both companies’ other financial metrics before deciding whether to invest.

AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
AutoZone, Inc.	AZO	A
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.	ORLY	A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

AutoZone, Inc. has a Quality Score of 86, which is Very Strong. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. has a Quality Score of 86, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc. have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
AutoZone, Inc.	AZO	C
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.	ORLY	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

AutoZone, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 49, which is Average. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 45, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive or Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Other AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc. Grades

In addition to Quality, Growth and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Estimate Revisions.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive or Inc. Stock?

Overall, AutoZone, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 100, Momentum Score of 49 and Quality Score of 86.

O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 100, Momentum Score of 45 and Quality Score of 86.

Comparing AutoZone, Inc., O'Reilly Automotive and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.