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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Auto Parts

AutoZone vs O'Reilly Automotive: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

O'Reilly Automotive holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and profitability. AutoZone still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. Both sides have seen trend damage — neither carries a clear market edge right now. With both trends damaged, the structural comparison carries most of the weight here.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The clearest separation starts in growth, but profitability adds another real layer to the result.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Auto Parts

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. AZO and ORLY share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how AutoZone and O'Reilly Automotive each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
AZO
AutoZone, Inc.
67
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
ORLY
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.
73
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: AZO vs ORLY Profitability 65 78 Stability 81 88 Valuation 67 57 Growth 56 71 AZO ORLY
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +15
#2 Profitability +13
#3 Valuation +10
#4 Stability +7
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for AZO and ORLY Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer AZOORLY Relative valuation Structural strength

O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. occupies the cheaper side of the setup map, although AutoZone, Inc. still holds the stronger structural profile.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where AZO and ORLY each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY AZO Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 2 pct gap ORLY Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 75th 77th
AZO (75th percentile) and ORLY (77th percentile) sit at comparable positions within their own 5-year histories. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Both rank well on growth, but O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. still sits higher.
Profitability
Even on profitability, where both profiles remain strong, AutoZone, Inc. still holds the higher peer position.
Growth — Dominant Gap
AZO
56
ORLY
71
Gap+15in favour of ORLY

The current lead is backed by a stronger multi-year growth trajectory.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for AutoZone, with a forward P/E that is 5.5 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and profitability — though valuation still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the AZO vs ORLY comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-and-profitability comparisons

Explore how AZO and ORLY each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.