SPRINGFIELD , MO -- O’Reilly Automotive has announced revenues and earnings for the third quarter ended Sept. 30. This marks 56 quarters of record revenues and earnings for O’Reilly since the company went public in April 1993.

Net income for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, totaled $53.1 million, up 10.9 percent from $47.9 million for the same period in 2006. Diluted earnings per common share for the third quarter of 2007 increased 9.5 percent to 46 cents on 116.3 million shares compared to 42 cents for the third quarter of 2006 on 115 million shares. Sales for the three months ended Sept. 30, totaled $662 million, up 10.8 percent from $597 million for the same period a year ago. Gross profit for the third quarter of 2007 increased to $294 million (or 44.4 percent of sales) from $263 million (or 44.1 percent of sales) for the third quarter of 2006, representing an increase of 11.5 percent. Operating, Selling, General and Administrative (OSG&A) expenses increased to $211 million (or 31.9 percent of sales) for the third quarter of 2007 from $188 million (or 31.5 percent of sales) for the third quarter of 2006, representing an increase of 12.1 percent.

Net income for the first nine months of 2007 totaled $153.4 million, up 11.4 percent from $137.7 million for the same period a year ago. Diluted earnings per common share for the first nine months of 2007 increased 10.0 percent to $1.32 on 116 million shares compared to $1.20 a year ago on 114.9 million shares. Sales for the first nine months of 2007 totaled $1.92 billion, up 11.2 percent from $1.72 billion for the same period a year ago. Gross profit for the first nine months of 2007 increased to $850 million (or 44.3 percent of sales) from $758 million (or 43.9 percent of sales) for the same period a year ago, representing an increase of 12.2 percent. OSG&A expenses increased to $609 million (or 31.7 percent of sales) for the first nine months of 2007 from $539 million (or 31.3 percent of sales) for the same period a year ago, representing an increase of 12.8 percent.

Comparable store sales for stores open at least one year increased 4.3 percent for both the third quarter and first nine months of 2007.

“We are very pleased with our strong performance in the third quarter as we continue to focus on building market share in both the professional and 'do it yourself' sides of our business,” said Greg Henslee, CEO and co-president. “Team O’Reilly continues to offer the highest levels of customer service in our industry, which resulted in another quarter of record sales and profits, and we are looking forward to offering these services to customers in markets new to our company as we continue our aggressive expansion.”

Ted Wise, COO and co-president, stated, “We opened 43 new stores during the quarter bringing our net new store total to 134 for the year. Through the first three quarters our store openings were slightly behind our plan due to permitting and construction delays. However, we are confident that by the end of the fourth quarter we will meet our target of 190 new store openings for the year. Our dedication to providing the best service to the professional installer and do-it-yourself customer continues to be the first priority in our expansion efforts.”

For more information about O'Reilly, go to: www.oreillyauto.com