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Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Auto Parts

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

The structural profiles are close, with AutoZone carrying a narrow edge on valuation. O'Reilly Automotive still leads on profitability and stability, 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 2026-08-16

The clearest separation starts in valuation, but growth 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.
72
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
ORLY
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.
71
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 68 89 Stability 68 85 Valuation 80 57 Growth 71 50 AZO ORLY
Gap Ranking
#1 Valuation +23
#2 Growth +21
#3 Profitability +21
#4 Stability +17
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

The structural gap is limited here, but current pricing still leans against O'Reilly Automotive, Inc..

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 Neutral · near norm 0th 50th 100th 21 pct gap ORLY Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 59th 80th
Today AZO sits in the upper-middle of its own 5-year history (59th percentile), while ORLY sits higher in its own history (80th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, AZO is at a historically more favourable entry position than ORLY. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Valuation
Both profiles are strong on valuation, but AutoZone, Inc. leads clearly.
Growth
On growth, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but AutoZone, Inc. still sits higher.
Valuation — Dominant Gap
AZO
80
ORLY
57
Gap+23in favour of AZO

The multiple-based pricing edge comes from a forward P/E that is 7.7 turns lower.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Capital efficiency also runs the other way, with a 7.5-point ROIC edge acting as a real counterforce.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both valuation and growth — though profitability 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 →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

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.