Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Unless otherwise indicated, “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms, as well as references to the “Company” or “O’Reilly,” refer to O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

In Management’s Discussion and Analysis, we provide a historical and prospective narrative of our general financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and certain other factors that may affect our future results, including

•	an overview of the key drivers of the automotive aftermarket industry;

•	key events and recent developments within our company;

•	our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015;

•	our liquidity and capital resources;

•	any contractual obligations, to which we are committed;

•	any off-balance sheet arrangements we utilize;

•	our critical accounting estimates;

•	the inflation and seasonality of our business;

•	our quarterly results for the years ended December 31, 2017, and 2016; and

•	recent accounting pronouncements that may affect our Company.

The review of Management’s Discussion and Analysis should be made in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, related notes and other financial information, forward-looking statements and other risk factors included elsewhere in this annual report.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

We claim the protection of the safe-harbor for forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “estimate,” “may,” “could,” “will,” “believe,” “expect,” “would,” “consider,” “should,” “anticipate,” “project,” “plan,” “intend” or similar words. In addition, statements contained within this annual report that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, such as statements discussing, among other things, expected growth, store development, integration and expansion strategy, business strategies, the impact of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, future revenues and future performance. These forward-looking statements are based on estimates, projections, beliefs and assumptions and are not guarantees of future events and results. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to, the economy in general, inflation, product demand, the market for auto parts, competition, weather, risks associated with the performance of acquired businesses, our ability to hire and retain qualified employees, consumer debt levels, our increased debt levels, credit ratings on public debt, governmental regulations, terrorist activities, war and the threat of war. Actual results may materially differ from anticipated results described or implied in these forward-looking statements. Please refer to the “Risk Factors” section of this annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, for additional factors that could materially affect our financial performance. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

OVERVIEW

We are a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, tools, supplies, equipment and accessories in the United States. We are one of the largest U.S. automotive aftermarket specialty retailers, selling our products to both do-it-yourself (“DIY”) customers and professional service providers – our “dual market strategy.” Our stores carry an extensive product line consisting of new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, a complete line of auto body paint and related materials, automotive tools and professional service provider service equipment. Our extensive product line includes an assortment of products that are differentiated by quality and price for most of the product lines we offer. For many of our product offerings, this quality differentiation reflects “good,” “better,” and “best” alternatives. Our sales and total gross profit dollars are highest for the “best” quality category of products. Consumers’ willingness to select products at a higher point on the value spectrum is a driver of sales and profitability in our industry. Our stores also offer enhanced services and programs to our customers, including 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; drum and rotor resurfacing; custom hydraulic hoses; professional paint shop mixing and related materials; and machine shops. As of December 31, 2017, we operated 5,019 stores in 47 states.

Operating within the retail industry, we are influenced by a number of general macroeconomic factors including, but not limited to, fuel costs, unemployment rates, consumer preferences and spending habits, and competition. We have ongoing initiatives aimed at tailoring our product offering to adjust to customers’ changing preferences, and we also have initiatives focused on marketing and training to educate customers on the advantages of ongoing vehicle maintenance, as well as “purchasing up” on the value spectrum.

We believe the key drivers of current and future demand for the products sold within the automotive aftermarket include the number of U.S. miles driven, number of U.S. registered vehicles, new light vehicle registrations, average vehicle age and unemployment.

•

Number of Miles Driven – The number of total miles driven in the U.S. influences the demand for repair and maintenance products sold within the automotive aftermarket. In total, vehicles in the U.S. are driven approximately three trillion miles per year, resulting in ongoing wear and tear and a corresponding continued demand for the repair and maintenance products necessary to keep these vehicles in operation. According to the Department of Transportation, the number of total miles driven in the U.S. increased 1.2%, 2.4% and 3.5% in 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and we expect to continue to see modest improvements in total miles driven in the U.S., supported by an increasing number of registered vehicles on the road, resulting in continued demand for automotive aftermarket products.

•

Number of U.S. Registered Vehicles, New Light Vehicle Registrations and Average Vehicle Age – The total number of vehicles on the road and the average age of the vehicle population heavily influence the demand for products sold within the automotive aftermarket industry. As reported by The Auto Care Association, the total number of registered vehicles increased 7% from 2006 to 2016, bringing the number of light vehicles on the road to 264 million by the end of 2016. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the seasonally adjusted annual rate of light vehicle sales in the U.S. (“SAAR”) was approximately 17.8 million, contributing to the continued growth in the total number of registered vehicles on the road. In the past decade, vehicle scrappage rates have remained relatively stable, ranging from 4.3% to 5.7% annually. As a result, over the past decade, the average age of the U.S. vehicle population has increased, growing 22%, from 9.5 years in 2006 to 11.6 years in 2016. We believe this increase in average age can be attributed to better engineered and manufactured vehicles, which can be reliably driven at higher mileages due to better quality power trains and interiors and exteriors, and the consumer’s willingness to invest in maintaining these higher-mileage, better built vehicles. As the average age of vehicles on the road increases, a larger percentage of miles are being driven by vehicles that are outside of a manufacturer warranty. These out-of-warranty, older vehicles generate strong demand for automotive aftermarket products as they go through more routine maintenance cycles, have more frequent mechanical failures and generally require more maintenance than newer vehicles. We believe consumers will continue to invest in these reliable, higher-quality, higher-mileage vehicles and these investments, along with an increasing total light vehicle fleet, will support continued demand for automotive aftermarket products.

•

Unemployment – Unemployment, underemployment, the threat of future joblessness and the uncertainty surrounding the overall economic health of the U.S. have a negative impact on consumer confidence and the level of consumer discretionary spending. Long-term trends of high unemployment have historically impeded the growth of annual miles driven, as well as decrease consumer discretionary spending, both of which negatively impact demand for products sold in the automotive aftermarket industry. As of December 31, 2016, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.7%, and as of December 31, 2017, the U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 4.1%. We believe total employment should remain at healthy levels supporting the trend of modest growth in total miles driven in the U.S. and the continued demand for automotive aftermarket products.

We remain confident in our ability to gain market share in our existing markets and grow our business in new markets by focusing on our dual market strategy and the core O’Reilly values of hard work and excellent customer service.

KEY EVENTS AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Several key events have had or may have a significant impact on our operations and are identified below:

•

Under the Company’s share repurchase program, as approved by our Board of Directors in January of 2011, we may, from time to time, repurchase shares of our common stock, solely through open market purchases effected through a broker dealer at prevailing market prices, based on a variety of factors such as price, corporate trading policy requirements and overall market conditions. Our Board of Directors may increase or otherwise modify, renew, suspend or terminate the share repurchase program at any time, without prior notice. As announced on May 10, 2017, September 1, 2017, and February 7, 2018, our Board of Directors each time approved a resolution to increase the authorization amount under our share repurchase program by an additional $1.00 billion, resulting in a cumulative authorization amount of $10.75 billion. Each additional authorization is effective for a three-year period, beginning on its respective announcement date. As of February 28, 2018, we had repurchased approximately 67.4 million shares of our common stock at an aggregate cost of $9.32 billion under this program.

•	On April 5, 2017, we entered into a new credit agreement. The new credit agreement provided for a $1.20 billion unsecured revolving credit facility arranged by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., which is scheduled to mature in April 2022.

•

On August 17, 2017, we issued $750 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured 3.600% Senior Notes due 2027 (“3.600% Senior Notes due 2027”) at a price to the public of 99.840% of their face value with UMB, N.A. as trustee. Interest on the 3.600% Senior Notes due 2027 is payable on March 1 and September 1 of each year, beginning on March 1, 2018, and is computed on the basis of a 360-day year.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following table includes income statement data as a percentage of sales for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2017			2016			2015
Sales	100.0	%		100.0	%		100.0	%
Cost of goods sold, including warehouse and distribution expenses	47.4			47.5			47.7
Gross profit	52.6			52.5			52.3
Selling, general and administrative expenses	33.4			32.7			33.2
Operating income (1)	19.2			19.8			19.0
Interest expense	(1.0	)		(0.8	)		(0.7	)
Interest income	—			0.1			—
Income before income taxes	18.2			19.1			18.3
Provision for income taxes	5.6			7.0			6.6
Net income	12.6	%		12.1	%		11.7	%

(1)	Each percentage of sales amount is computed independently and may not compute to presented totals.

2017 Compared to 2016

Sales:

Sales for the year ended December 31, 2017, increased $385 million to $8.98 billion from $8.59 billion for the same period one year ago, representing an increase of 4%. Comparable store sales for stores open at least one year increased 1.4% and 4.8% for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Comparable store sales are calculated based on the change in sales of stores open at least one year and exclude sales of specialty machinery, sales to independent parts stores, sales to Team Members and sales from Leap Day during the year ended December 31, 2016.

The following table presents the components of the increase in sales for the year ended December 31, 2017 (in millions):

	Increase in Sales for the Year Ended December 31, 2017, Compared to the Same Period in 2016
Store sales:
Comparable store sales, including sales from the 48 acquired Bond stores	$	182
Non-comparable store sales:
Sales for stores opened throughout 2016, excluding stores open at least one year that are included in comparable store sales	126
Sales for stores opened throughout 2017	108
Sales from Leap Day in 2016	(25		)
Sales in 2016 for stores that have closed	(5		)
Non-store sales:
Includes sales of machinery and sales to independent parts stores and Team Members	(1		)
Total increase in sales	$	385

We believe the increased sales achieved by our stores were the result of store growth, sales from the 48 acquired Bond stores, the high levels of customer service provided by our well-trained and technically proficient Team Members, superior inventory availability, including same day and over-night access to inventory in our regional distribution centers, enhanced services and programs offered in our stores, a broader selection of product offerings in most stores with a dynamic catalog system to identify and source parts, a targeted promotional and advertising effort through a variety of media and localized promotional events, continued improvement in the merchandising and store layouts of our stores, compensation programs for all store Team Members that provide incentives for performance and our continued focus on serving both DIY and professional service provider customers.

Our comparable store sales increase for the year ended December 31, 2017, was driven by increases in average ticket values for both DIY and professional service provider customers, partially offset by negative customer transaction counts from both our DIY and

professional service provider customers. The improvement in average ticket values was the result of the increasing complexity and cost of replacement parts necessary to maintain the current population of better engineered and more technically advanced vehicles. These better engineered, more technically advanced vehicles require less frequent repairs, as the component parts are more durable and last for longer periods of time. When repairs are needed, the cost of replacement parts is, on average, greater, which is a benefit to average ticket values; however, the decrease in repair frequency creates pressure on customer transaction counts. In addition, customer transaction counts for the year ended December 31, 2017, were negatively impacted by softer industry demand, resulting, in part, from the unseasonably mild winter weather at the onset of 2017 and a cool, wet summer in many of our markets. The mild winter weather did not stress vehicle components to the degree more typical harsh winter weather would, which resulted in a lower level of automobile parts breakage and associated demand for our products. The cool, wet summer in many of our markets resulted in a lower level of demand, as the absence of typical seasonally high temperatures resulted in fewer heat related product repairs.

We opened 190 net, new stores during the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to opening 210 net, new stores and acquiring 48 Bond stores during the year ended December 31, 2016. As of December 31, 2017, we operated 5,019 stores in 47 states compared to 4,829 stores in 47 states at December 31, 2016. We anticipate new store growth will be 200 net, new store openings in 2018.

Gross profit:

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2017, increased to $4.72 billion (or 52.6% of sales) from $4.51 billion (or 52.5% of sales) for the same period one year ago, representing an increase of 5%. The increase in gross profit dollars for the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily a result of sales from new stores, the increase in comparable store sales at existing stores and sales from the 48 acquired Bond stores, partially offset by prior year gross profit dollars generated from one additional day due to Leap Day. The increase in gross profit as a percentage of sales for the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily due to a smaller non-cash last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) impact, partially offset by a lower merchandise margin and higher inventory shrinkage. The smaller LIFO impact is the result of fewer product acquisition cost improvements during the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to the same period one year ago. Our policy is to not write up inventory in excess of replacement cost, and accordingly, we are effectively valuing our inventory at replacement cost. For the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, our LIFO inventory costs were written down by approximately $22 million and $49 million, respectively, to reflect replacement cost. The lower merchandise margin was primarily the result of merchandise mix, driven by the unfavorable weather conditions during 2017. The higher inventory shrinkage was primarily cyclical in nature, following a period of lower than average shrinkage trends.

Selling, general and administrative expenses:

Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”) for the year ended December 31, 2017, increased to $3.00 billion (or 33.4% of sales) from $2.81 billion (or 32.7% of sales) for the same period one year ago, representing an increase of 7%. The increase in total SG&A dollars for the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily the result of additional Team Members, facilities and vehicles to support our increased sales and store count, partially offset by a $9.1 million benefit from the reduction in our legal accrual following the expiration of the statute of limitations related to a legacy claim and prior year incremental SG&A expenses incurred from one additional day due to Leap Day. The increase in SG&A as a percentage of sales for the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily due to deleverage of store operating costs on soft comparable store sales during the current period.

Operating income:

As a result of the impacts discussed above, operating income for the year ended December 31, 2017, increased to $1.73 billion (or 19.2% of sales) from $1.70 billion (or 19.8% of sales) for the same period one year ago, representing an increase of 2%.

Other income and expense:

Total other expense for the year ended December 31, 2017, increased to $88 million (or 1.0% of sales), from $62 million (or 0.7% of sales) for the same period one year ago, representing an increase of 41%. The increase in total other expense for the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily the result of increased interest expense on higher average outstanding borrowings and increased amortization of debt issuance costs.

Income taxes:

Our provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2017, decreased to $504 million (30.8% effective tax rate) from $600 million (36.6% effective tax rate) for the same period one year ago, representing a decrease of 16%. The decrease in our provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2017, was the result of a one-time $53 million benefit to the provision for income taxes related to the required revaluation of our deferred income tax liabilities based on the lower federal corporate income tax rate set forth by the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in December 2017, and the adoption of Accounting Standard Update No. 2016-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU 2016-09”) in 2017, which provided a benefit of $49 million to the provision for income taxes. The decrease in our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily due to the required revaluation of our deferred income tax liabilities, which provided a one-time benefit of 325 basis points to the effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2017, and the adoption of ASU 2016-09 in 2017, which provided a benefit of 297 basis points to the effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Net income:

As a result of the impacts discussed above, net income for the year ended December 31, 2017, increased to $1.13 billion (or 12.6% of sales), from $1.04 billion (or 12.1% of sales) for the same period one year ago, representing an increase of 9%.

Earnings per share:

Our diluted earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2017, increased 18% to $12.67 on 90 million shares from $10.73 on 97 million shares for the same period one year ago. Due to the required revaluation of our deferred income tax liabilities, our diluted earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2017, included a one-time benefit of $0.59. Due to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, our diluted earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2017, included a benefit of $0.50.

2016 Compared to 2015

Sales:

Sales for the year ended December 31, 2016, increased $626 million to $8.59 billion from $7.97 billion for the same period one year prior, representing an increase of 8%. Comparable store sales for stores open at least one year increased 4.8% and 7.5% for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Comparable store sales are calculated based on the change in sales of stores open at least one year and exclude sales of specialty machinery, sales to independent parts stores, sales to Team Members and sales from Leap Day during the year ended December 31, 2016.

The following table presents the components of the increase in sales for the year ended December 31, 2016 (in millions):

	Increase in Sales for the Year Ended December 31, 2016, Compared to the Same Period in 2015
Store sales:
Comparable store sales	$	375
Non-comparable store sales:
Sales for stores opened throughout 2015, excluding stores open at least one year that are included in comparable store sales	115
Sales for stores opened throughout 2016 and sales from acquired Bond stores	106
Sales from Leap Day	24
Sales in 2015 for stores that have closed	(4		)
Non-store sales:
Includes sales of machinery and sales to independent parts stores and Team Members	10
Total increase in sales	$	626

We believe the increased sales achieved by our stores were the result of store growth, sales from one additional day due to Leap Day for the year ended December 31, 2016, sales from the acquired 48 Bond stores, the high levels of customer service provided by our well-trained and technically proficient Team Members, superior inventory availability, including same day and over-night access to inventory in our regional distribution centers, enhanced services and programs offered in our stores, a broader selection of product offerings in most stores with a dynamic catalog system to identify and source parts, a targeted promotional and advertising effort through a variety of media and localized promotional events, continued improvement in the merchandising and store layouts of our stores, compensation programs for all store Team Members that provide incentives for performance and our continued focus on serving both DIY and professional service provider customers.

Our comparable store sales increase for the year ended December 31, 2016, was driven by increases in average ticket values and customer transaction counts from both our DIY and professional service provider customers. The improvement in average ticket values was the result of the increasing complexity and cost of replacement parts necessary to maintain the current population of better engineered and more technically advanced vehicles. These better-engineered, more technically advanced vehicles require less frequent repairs, as the component parts are more durable and last for longer periods of time. This decrease in repair frequency creates pressure on customer transaction counts; however, when repairs are needed, the cost of replacement parts is, on average, greater, which is a benefit to average ticket values. Customer transaction counts for both DIY and professional service provider customers increased for the year ended December 31, 2016, despite the added pressure from the better engineered, more technically advanced vehicles requiring less frequent repairs. The increase in customer transaction counts was supported by an increase in miles driven, and the corresponding increase in vehicle maintenance, lower year-over-year gas prices and decreasing unemployment levels, creating an overall positive macroeconomic environment. The increase in our DIY customer transaction counts benefited from our continued focus on ensuring our stores are staffed with knowledgeable parts professionals to assist our DIY customers during high DIY traffic periods, such as nights and weekends. The

increase in our professional service provider customer transaction counts benefited from the continued growth of our less mature markets and our better parts and service availability.

We opened 210 net, new stores and acquired 48 Bond stores during the year ended December 31, 2016, compared to opening 205 net, new stores for the year ended December 31, 2015. As of December 31, 2016, we operated 4,829 stores in 47 states compared to 4,571 stores in 44 states at December 31, 2015.

Gross profit:

Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2016, increased to $4.51 billion (or 52.5% of sales) from $4.16 billion (or 52.3% of sales) for the same period one year prior, representing an increase of 8%. The increase in gross profit dollars for the year ended December 31, 2016, was primarily a result of the increase in comparable store sales at existing stores, sales from new stores and one additional day due to Leap Day. The increase in gross profit as a percentage of sales for the year ended December 31, 2016, was primarily due to product acquisition cost improvements, partially offset by a larger LIFO impact. Product acquisition cost improvements are the result of our ongoing negotiations with our suppliers to improve our inventory purchase costs based on our increasing scale. The non-cash LIFO impact is the result of these continued product acquisition cost reductions, and due to these reductions, we fully depleted our LIFO reserve in 2013. Our policy is to not write up inventory in excess of replacement cost, and accordingly, we were effectively valuing our inventory at replacement cost. During the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, our LIFO costs were written down by approximately $49 million and $28 million, respectively, to reflect replacement cost.

Selling, general and administrative expenses:

SG&A for the year ended December 31, 2016, increased to $2.81 billion (or 32.7% of sales) from $2.65 billion (or 33.2% of sales) for the same period one year prior, representing an increase of 6%. The increase in total SG&A dollars for the year ended December 31, 2016, was primarily the result of additional Team Members, facilities and vehicles to support our increased sales and store count and one additional day due to Leap Day. The decrease in SG&A as a percentage of sales for the year ended December 31, 2016, was primarily the result of increased leverage of store occupancy costs on comparable store sales growth and a $19 million litigation loss charge in 2015, resulting from an adverse verdict in a contract dispute with a former service provider.

Operating income:

As a result of the impacts discussed above, operating income for the year ended December 31, 2016, increased to $1.70 billion (or 19.8% of sales) from $1.51 billion (or 19.0% of sales) for the same period one year prior, representing an increase of 12%.

Other income and expense:

Total other expense for the year ended December 31, 2016, increased to $62 million (or 0.7% of sales), from $54 million (or 0.7% of sales) for the same period one year prior, representing an increase of 16%. The increase in total other expense for the year ended December 31, 2016, was primarily the result of increased interest expense on higher average outstanding borrowings and increased amortization of debt issuance costs, partially offset by an increase in the value of our trading securities.

Income taxes:

Our provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2016, increased to $600 million (36.6% effective tax rate) from $529 million (36.2% effective tax rate) for the same period one year prior, representing an increase of 13%. The increase in our provision for income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2016, was the result of higher taxable income in 2016, primarily driven by our strong operating results, and higher effective tax rates. The increase in our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2016, was primarily due to a larger amount of favorable resolutions of historical tax matters in 2015, compared to 2016, and a smaller benefit in 2016 from the realization of employment tax credits.

Net income:

As a result of the impacts discussed above, net income for the year ended December 31, 2016, increased to $1.04 billion (or 12.1% of sales), from $931 million (or 11.7% of sales) for the same period one year prior, representing an increase of 11%.

Earnings per share:

Our diluted earnings per common share for the year ended December 31, 2016, increased 17% to $10.73 on 97 million shares from $9.17 on 102 million shares for the same period one year prior.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Our long-term business strategy requires capital to open new stores, fund strategic acquisitions, expand distribution infrastructure, operate and maintain our existing stores and may include the opportunistic repurchase of shares of our common stock through our Board-approved share repurchase program. The primary sources of our liquidity are funds generated from operations and borrowed under our unsecured

revolving credit facility. Decreased demand for our products or changes in customer buying patterns could negatively impact our ability to generate funds from operations. Additionally, decreased demand or changes in buying patterns could impact our ability to meet the debt covenants of our credit agreement and, therefore, negatively impact the funds available under our unsecured revolving credit facility. We believe that cash expected to be provided by operating activities and availability under our unsecured revolving credit facility will be sufficient to fund both our short-term and long-term capital and liquidity needs for the foreseeable future. However, there can be no assurance that we will continue to generate cash flows at or above recent levels.

Liquidity and related ratios:

The following table highlights our liquidity and related ratios as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 (dollars in millions):

		December 31,								Percentage Change
Liquidity and Related Ratios		2017				2016
Current assets		$	3,398			$	3,258			4.3	%
Current liabilities		3,647				3,401				7.2	%
Working capital (1)		(250		)		(143		)		(74.8	)%
Total debt		2,978				1,887				57.8	%
Total equity		$	653			$	1,627			(59.9	)%
Debt to equity (2)		4.56:1				1.16:1				293.1	%

(1)	Working capital is calculated as current assets less current liabilities.

(2)	Debt to equity is calculated as total debt divided by total equity.

Current assets increased 4%, current liabilities increased 7%, total debt increased 58% and total equity decreased 60% from 2016 to 2017. The increase in current assets was primarily due to the increase in inventory, resulting from the opening of 190 net, new stores in 2017. The increase in current liabilities was primarily due to the increase in accounts payable, resulting from inventory growth related to new store openings. Our accounts payable to inventory ratio was 106.0% as of December 31, 2017, as compared to 105.7% in the prior year. The increase in total debt was attributable to the issuance of $750 million of 3.600% Senior Notes due 2027 and borrowings of $346 million on our revolving credit facility at December 31, 2017. The decrease in total equity resulted from the impact of share repurchase activity, under our share repurchase program, on retained deficit and additional paid-in-capital, partially offset by a decrease in retained deficit from net income for the year ended December 31, 2017.

The following table identifies cash provided by/(used in) our operating, investing and financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):

		For the Year Ended December 31,
Liquidity:		2017				2016				2015
Total cash provided by/(used in):
Operating activities (1)		$	1,403,687			$	1,510,713			$	1,345,488
Investing activities		(464,223		)		(529,096		)		(407,188		)
Financing activities (1)		(1,039,714		)		(951,320		)		(1,072,559		)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents		$	(100,250	)		$	30,297			$	(134,259	)
Capital expenditures		$	465,940			$	476,344			$	414,020
Free cash flow (2)		889,059				978,375				868,390

(1)	Prior period amount has been reclassified to conform to current period presentation, due to the Company’s adoption of a new accounting standard during the first quarter ended March 31, 2017.

(2)	Calculated as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures and excess tax benefit from share-based compensation payments for the period.

Operating activities:

The decrease in net cash provided by operating activities in 2017 compared to 2016 was primarily due to a smaller decrease in our net inventory investment, partially offset by an increase in net income. Net inventory investment reflects our investment in inventory, net of the amount of accounts payable to suppliers. Our accounts payable to inventory ratio was 106.0%, 105.7% and 99.1% as of December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The smaller increase in our accounts payable to inventory ratio in 2017 was primarily attributable to fewer new suppliers entering our supplier financing programs in 2017 and a smaller decrease in net inventory, due to a softer sales environment, as compared to 2016.

The increase in net cash provided by operating activities in 2016 compared to 2015 was primarily due to an increase in net income and a greater decrease in net inventory investment, partially offset by a decrease in income taxes payable. Our accounts payable to inventory ratio was 105.7%, 99.1% and 94.6% as of December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The larger increase in our accounts payable to inventory ratio in 2016 was primarily attributable to incrementally better terms from our suppliers and additional suppliers participating in our supplier financing programs. The decrease from income taxes payable in 2016, compared to the increase in income taxes payable in 2015, was primarily the result of a prepaid income taxes position at the end of 2016, versus an income taxes payable position at the end of 2015.

Investing activities:

The decrease in net cash used in investing activities in 2017 compared to 2016 was primarily the result of a decrease in other investing activities and a decrease in capital expenditures in 2017. The decrease in other investing activities was primarily due to less acquisition related expenditures in 2017, as compared to 2016. Total capital expenditures were $466 million and $476 million in 2017 and 2016, respectively, and the decrease was primarily related to the timing of property acquisitions, closings, construction costs for new stores and the mix of owned versus leased stores opened during 2017, as compared to 2016.

The increase in net cash used in investing activities in 2016 compared to 2015 was primarily the result of an increase in capital expenditures and other investing activities in 2016. Total capital expenditures were $476 million and $414 million in 2016 and 2015, respectively, and the increase was primarily related to the timing of property acquisitions, closing and construction costs for new stores and our distribution expansion projects during 2016, as compared to 2015. The increase in other investing activities was primarily due to small acquisitions during 2016.

We opened 190, 210, and 205 net, new stores in 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and acquired 48 Bond stores in 2016. We plan to open 200 net, new stores in 2018. The current costs associated with the opening of a new store, including the cost of land acquisition, building improvements, fixtures, vehicles, net inventory investment and computer equipment, are estimated to average approximately $1.6 million to $1.8 million; however, such costs may be significantly reduced where we lease, rather than purchase, the store site.

Financing activities:

The increase in net cash used in financing activities in 2017 compared to 2016 was primarily attributable to a greater impact from the repurchases of our common stock under our share repurchase program during 2017, as compared to 2016, partially offset by a higher level of net borrowings during 2017, as compared to 2016.

The decrease in net cash used in financing activities in 2016 compared to 2015 was primarily attributable to net proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt during 2016, partially offset by a greater impact from the repurchases of our common stock under our share repurchase program during 2016, as compared to 2015.

Unsecured revolving credit facility:

On April 5, 2017, the Company entered into a new credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”). The new Credit Agreement provides for a five-year $1.20 billion unsecured revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) arranged by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., which is scheduled to mature in April 2022. The new Credit Agreement includes a $200 million sub-limit for the issuance of letters of credit and a $75 million sub-limit for swing line borrowings. As described in the new Credit Agreement governing the Revolving Credit Facility, the Company may, from time to time, subject to certain conditions, increase the aggregate commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility by up to $600 million, provided that the aggregate amount of the commitments does not exceed $1.80 billion at any time.

In conjunction with the closing of the new Credit Agreement, the Company’s previous credit agreement, which was originally entered into on January 14, 2011, as amended, was terminated (the “Terminated Credit Agreement”), and all outstanding loans and commitments, including the guarantees of each of the subsidiary guarantors, under the Terminated Credit Agreement were terminated and replaced by the loans and commitments under the new Credit Agreement. None of our subsidiaries are guarantors or obligors under the new Credit Agreement.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we had outstanding letters of credit, primarily to support obligations related to workers’ compensation, general liability and other insurance policies, in the amounts of $37 million and $39 million, respectively, reducing the aggregate availability under the new Credit Agreement by those amounts. As of December 31, 2017, we had outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility in the amount of $346 million. As of December 31, 2016, we had no outstanding borrowings under our terminated unsecured revolving credit facility.

Senior Notes:

On August 17, 2017, we issued $750 million aggregate principal amount of unsecured 3.600% Senior Notes due 2027 (“3.600% Senior Notes due 2027”) at a price to the public of 99.840% of their face value with UMB Bank, N.A. (“UMB”) as trustee. Interest on the

3.600% Senior Notes due 2027 is payable on March 1 and September 1 of each year, beginning on March 1, 2018, and is computed on the basis of a 360-day year.

We have issued a cumulative $2.65 billion aggregate principal amount of unsecured senior notes, which are due between 2021 and 2027, with UMB as trustee. Interest on the senior notes, ranging from 3.550% to 4.875%, is payable semi-annually and is computed on the basis of a 360-day year. None of our subsidiaries are guarantors under the Senior Notes.

Debt covenants:

The indentures governing our senior notes contain covenants that limit our ability and the ability of certain of our subsidiaries to, among other things, create certain liens on assets to secure certain debt and enter into certain sale and leaseback transactions, and limit our ability to merge or consolidate with another company or transfer all or substantially all of our property, in each case as set forth in the indentures. These covenants are, however, subject to a number of important limitations and exceptions. As of December 31, 2017, we were in compliance with the covenants applicable to our senior notes.

The Credit Agreement contains certain covenants, including limitations on indebtedness, a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio of 2.50:1.00 and a maximum consolidated leverage ratio of 3.50:1.00. The consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio includes a calculation of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, rent and non-cash share-based compensation expense to fixed charges. Fixed charges include interest expense, capitalized interest and rent expense. The consolidated leverage ratio includes a calculation of adjusted debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, rent and non-cash share-based compensation expense. Adjusted debt includes outstanding debt, outstanding stand-by letters of credit and similar instruments, five-times rent expense and excludes any premium or discount recorded in conjunction with the issuance of long-term debt. In the event that we should default on any covenant contained within the Credit Agreement, certain actions may be taken, including, but not limited to, possible termination of commitments, immediate payment of outstanding principal amounts plus accrued interest and other amounts payable under the Credit Agreement and litigation from our lenders.

We had a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio of 5.72 times and 6.15 times as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and a consolidated leverage ratio of 1.98 times and 1.51 times as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, remaining in compliance with all covenants related to the borrowing arrangements.

The table below outlines the calculations of the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio and consolidated leverage ratio covenants, as defined in the Credit Agreement governing the Revolving Credit Facility, for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 (dollars in thousands):

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2017				2016
GAAP net income	$	1,133,804			$	1,037,691
Add: Interest expense	91,349				70,931
Rent expense	298,614				283,253
Provision for income taxes	504,000				599,500
Depreciation expense	232,674				217,009
Amortization expense	1,171				857
Non-cash share-based compensation	19,401				18,859
Non-GAAP EBITDAR	$	2,281,013			$	2,228,100
Interest expense	$	91,349			$	70,931
Capitalized interest	8,548				7,933
Rent expense	298,614				283,253
Total fixed charges	$	398,511			$	362,117
Consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio	5.72				6.15
GAAP debt	$	2,978,390			$	1,887,019
Add: Stand-by letters of credit	36,843				38,680
Discount on senior notes	3,721				3,149
Debt issuance costs	13,889				9,832
Five-times rent expense	1,493,070				1,416,265
Non-GAAP adjusted debt	$	4,525,913			$	3,354,945
Consolidated leverage ratio	1.98				1.51

The table below outlines the calculation of Free cash flow and reconciles Free cash flow to Net cash provided by operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2017				2016				2015
Cash provided by operating activities (1)	$	1,403,687			$	1,510,713			$	1,345,488
Less: Capital expenditures	465,940				476,344				414,020
Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation	48,688				55,994				63,078
Free cash flow	$	889,059			$	978,375			$	868,390

(1)	Prior period amount has been reclassified to conform to current period presentation, due to the Company’s adoption of a new accounting standard during the first quarter ended March 31, 2017.

Free cash flow, the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio and the consolidated leverage ratio discussed and presented in the tables above are not derived in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). We do not, nor do we suggest investors should, consider such non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, or as a substitute for, GAAP financial information. We believe that the presentation of our free cash flow, consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio and consolidated leverage ratio provides meaningful supplemental information to both management and investors and reflects the required covenants under the Credit Agreement. We include these items in judging our performance and believe this non-GAAP information is useful to investors as well. Material limitations of these non-GAAP measures are that such measures do not reflect actual GAAP amounts. We compensate for such limitations by presenting, in the tables above, a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.

Share repurchase program:

In January of 2011, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program. Under the program, we may, from time to time, repurchase shares of our common stock, solely through open market purchases effected through a broker dealer at prevailing market prices, based on a variety of factors such as price, corporate trading policy requirements and overall market conditions. Our Board of Directors may increase or otherwise modify, renew, suspend or terminate the share repurchase program at any time, without prior notice. As announced on May 10, 2017, September 1, 2017, and February 7, 2018, our Board of Directors each time approved a resolution to increase the authorization amount under our share repurchase program by an additional $1.00 billion, resulting in a cumulative authorization amount of $10.75 billion. Each additional authorization is effective for a three-year period, beginning on its respective announcement date.

The following table identifies shares of our common stock that have been repurchased as part of our publicly announced share repurchase program (in thousands, except per share data):

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2017				2016
Shares repurchased	9,301				5,698
Average price per share	$	233.57			$	264.21
Total investment	$	2,172,437			$	1,505,371

As of December 31, 2017, we had $715 million remaining under our share repurchase program. Subsequent to the end of the year and through February 28, 2018, we repurchased an additional 1.1 million shares of our common stock under our share repurchase program, at an average price of $255.48, for a total investment of $290 million. We have repurchased a total of 67 million shares of our common stock under our share repurchase program since the inception of the program in January of 2011 and through February 28, 2018, at an average price of $138.38 for a total aggregate investment of $9.32 billion. As of February 28, 2018, we had approximately $1.43 billion remaining under our share repurchase program.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

Our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2017, included commitments for short and long-term debt arrangements, interest payments related to long-term debt, future payments under non-cancelable lease arrangements, self-insurance reserves, purchase obligations for construction contract commitments and other long-term liabilities, which are identified in the table below and are fully disclosed in Note 6 “Leasing,” Note 9 “Share-Based Compensation and Benefit Plans” and Note 10 “Commitments” to the Consolidated Financial Statements. We expect to fund these commitments primarily with operating cash flows expected to be generated in the normal course of business or through borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility.

Deferred income taxes, as well as commitments with various suppliers for the purchase of inventory, are not reflected in the table below due to the absence of scheduled maturities, the nature of the account or the commitment’s cancellation terms. Due to the absence of scheduled maturities, the timing of certain of these payments cannot be determined, except for amounts estimated to be payable in 2018, which are included in “Current liabilities” on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We record a reserve for potential liabilities related to uncertain tax positions, including estimated interest and penalties, which are fully disclosed in Note 12 “Income Taxes” to the Consolidated Financial Statements. These estimates are not included in the table below because the timing related to the ultimate resolution or settlement of these positions cannot be determined. As of December 31, 2017, we recorded a net liability of $41 million related to these uncertain tax positions on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, all of which was included in “Other liabilities.”

We record a reserve for the projected obligation related to future payments under the Company’s nonqualified deferred compensation plan, which is fully disclosed in Note 9 “Share-Based Compensation and Benefit Plans” to the Consolidated Financial Statements. This estimate is not included in the table below because the timing related to the ultimate payment cannot be determined. As of December 31, 2017, we recorded a liability of $26 million related to this uncertain liability on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, all of which was included in “Other liabilities.”

The following table identifies the estimated payments of the Company’s contractual obligations as of December 31, 2017 (in thousands):

		Payments Due By Period
Contractual Obligations		Total				Before 1 Year				Years 1 and 2				Years 3 and 4				Years 5 and Over
Long-term debt principal and interest payments (1)		$	3,749,456			$	123,845			$	245,440			$	1,628,581			$	1,751,590
Future minimum lease payments under operating leases (2)		2,367,161				293,317				535,669				433,506				1,104,669
Self-insurance reserves (3)		147,661				71,695				47,306				18,490				10,170
Construction commitments		54,368				54,368				—				—				—
Total contractual cash obligations		$	6,318,646			$	543,225			$	828,415			$	2,080,577			$	2,866,429

(1)

Our Revolving Credit Facility, which has a maximum aggregate commitment of $1.20 billion and matures in April 2022, bears interest (other than swing line loans), at our option, at either the Alternate Base Rate or Eurodollar Revolving Loans(both as defined in the agreement) plus a margin, that will vary from 0.000% to 0.250% in the case of loans bearing interest at the Alternate Base Rate and 0.680% to 1.250% in the case of loans bearing interest at the Eurodollar Revolving Loan, in each case based upon the better of the ratings assigned to our debt by Moody’s Investor Service, Inc. and Standard & Poor’s Rating Services, subject to limited exceptions. Swing line loans made under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at the Alternate Base Rate plus the applicable margin described above. In addition, we pay a facility fee on the aggregate amount of the commitments in an amount equal to a percentage of such commitments, varying from 0.070% to 0.250% per annum based upon the better of the ratings assigned to our debt by Moody’s Investor Service, Inc. and Standard & Poor’s Rating Services, subject to limited exceptions. Based on our current credit ratings, our margin for Alternate Base Rate loans was 0.000%, our margin for Eurodollar Revolving Loans was 0.9% and our facility fee was 0.100%. As of December 31, 2017, we had outstanding borrowings in the amount of $346 million under our Revolving Credit Facility.

(2)

The minimum lease payments above do not include certain tax, insurance and maintenance costs, which are also required contractual obligations under our operating leases but are generally not fixed and can fluctuate from year to year. These expenses historically average approximately 20% of the corresponding lease payments. See Note 6 “Leasing” to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our operating leases.

(3)

We use various self-insurance mechanisms to provide for potential liabilities from workers’ compensation, vehicle and general liability, and employee health care benefits. The self-insurance reserves above are at the undiscounted obligation amount. The self-insurance reserves liabilities are recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheets at our estimate of their net present value and do not have scheduled maturities; however, we can estimate the timing of future payments based upon historical patterns. See Note 10 “Commitments” to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our self-insurance reserves.

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

Off-balance sheet arrangements are transactions, agreements, or other contractual arrangements with an unconsolidated entity, for which we have an obligation to the entity that is not recorded in our consolidated financial statements. We historically utilized various off-balance sheet financial instruments, including sale-leaseback and synthetic lease transactions, but we have not entered into any such transactions for over five years and do not plan to utilize off-balance sheet arrangements in the future to fund our working capital requirements, operations or growth plans.

We issue stand-by letters of credit provided by a $200 million sub limit under the Revolving Credit Facility that reduce our available borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility. Those letters of credit are issued primarily to satisfy the requirements of workers’ compensation, general liability and other insurance policies. Substantially all of the outstanding letters of credit have a one-year term from the date of issuance. Letters of credit totaling $37 million and $39 million were outstanding at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Other than in connection with executing operating leases, we do not have any off-balance sheet financing that has, or is reasonably likely to have, a material, current or future effect on our financial condition, cash flows, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources. See “Contractual Obligations” section of Item 7 of this annual report on Form 10-K and Note 6 “Leasing” to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on our operating leases.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

The preparation of our financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires the application of certain estimates and judgments by management. Management bases its assumptions, estimates, and adjustments on historical experience, current trends and other factors believed to be relevant at the time the consolidated financial statements are prepared. Management believes that the following policies are critical due to the inherent uncertainty of these matters and the complex and subjective judgments required in establishing these estimates. Management continues to review these critical accounting policies and estimates to ensure that the consolidated financial statements are presented fairly in accordance with GAAP. However, actual results could differ from our assumptions and estimates and such differences could be material.

Inventory Obsolescence and Shrink:

Inventory, which consists of automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories and tools, is stated at the lower of cost or market. The extended nature of the life cycle of our products is such that the risk of obsolescence of our inventory is minimal. The products that we sell generally have applications in our markets for a long period of time in conjunction with the corresponding vehicle population. We have developed sophisticated systems for monitoring the life cycle of a given product and, accordingly, have historically been very successful in adjusting the volume of our inventory in conjunction with a decrease in demand. We do record a reserve to reduce the carrying value of our inventory through a charge to cost of sales in the isolated instances where we believe that the market value of products is lower than our recorded cost. This reserve is based on our assumptions about the marketability of our existing inventory and is subject to uncertainty to the extent that we must estimate, at a given point in time, the market value of inventory that will be sold in future periods. Ultimately, our projections could differ from actual results and could result in a material impact to our stated inventory balances. We have historically not had to materially adjust our obsolescence reserves due to the factors discussed above and do not anticipate that we will experience material changes in our estimates in the future.

We also record a reserve to reduce the carrying value of our perpetual inventory to account for quantities in our perpetual records above the actual existing quantities on hand caused by unrecorded shrink. We estimate this reserve based on the results of our extensive and frequent cycle counting programs and periodic, full physical inventories. To the extent that our estimates do not accurately reflect the actual unrecorded inventory shrinkage, we could potentially experience a material impact to our inventory balances. We have historically been able to provide a timely and accurate measurement of shrink and have not experienced material adjustments to our estimates. If the shrink reserve changed 10% from the estimate that we recorded based on our historical experience at December 31, 2017, the financial impact would have been approximately $1 million or less than 0.1% of pretax income for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Valuation of Long-Lived Assets and Goodwill:

We evaluate the carrying value of long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of these assets might exceed their current fair values. As part of the evaluation, we review performance at the store level to identify any stores with current period operating losses that should be considered for impairment. A potential impairment has occurred if the projected future undiscounted cash flows realized from the best possible use of the asset are less than the carrying value of the asset. The estimate of cash flows includes management’s assumptions of cash inflows and outflows directly resulting from the use of that asset in operations. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the assets. Our impairment analyses contain estimates due to the inherently judgmental nature of forecasting long-term estimated cash flows and determining the ultimate useful lives and fair values of the assets. Actual results could differ from these estimates, which could materially impact our impairment assessment.

We review goodwill for impairment annually during the fourth quarter, or when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of these assets might exceed their current fair values. We have never recorded an impairment to goodwill. The process of evaluating goodwill for impairment involves the determination of the fair value of our Company using the market approach. Inherent in such fair value determinations are certain judgments and estimates, including estimates that incorporate assumptions marketplace participants would use in making their estimates of fair value. In the future, if events or market conditions affect the estimated fair value to the extent that an asset is impaired, we will adjust the carrying value of these assets in the period in which the impairment occurs; however, we do not believe there has been any change of events or circumstances that would indicate that a reevaluation of goodwill is required as of December 31, 2017, nor do we believe goodwill is at risk of failing impairment testing. If the price of O’Reilly’s stock, which was a primary input used to determine our market capitalization during step one of goodwill impairment testing, changed by 10% from the value used during testing, the results and our conclusions would not have changed and no further steps would have been required.

Supplier Concessions:

We receive concessions from our suppliers through a variety of programs and arrangements, including co-operative advertising, allowances for warranties, merchandise allowances and volume purchase rebates. Co-operative advertising allowances that are incremental to our advertising program, specific to a product or event and identifiable for accounting purposes are reported as a reduction of advertising expense in the period in which the advertising occurred. All other material supplier concessions are recognized as a reduction to the cost of sales. Amounts receivable from suppliers also include amounts due to us relating to supplier purchases and product returns. Management regularly reviews amounts receivable from suppliers and assesses the need for a reserve for uncollectible amounts based on our evaluation of our suppliers’ financial position and corresponding ability to meet their financial obligations. Based on our historical results and current assessment, we have not recorded a reserve for uncollectible amounts in our consolidated financial statements, and we do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that our ability to collect these amounts will differ from our expectations. The eventual ability of our suppliers to pay us the obliged amounts could differ from our assumptions and estimates, and we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

Warranty Reserves:

We offer warranties on certain merchandise we sell with warranty periods ranging from 30 days to limited lifetime warranties. The risk of loss arising from warranty claims is typically the obligation of our suppliers. Certain suppliers provide upfront allowances to us in lieu of accepting the obligation for warranty claims. For this merchandise, when sold, we bear the risk of loss associated with the cost of warranty claims. Differences between supplier allowances received in lieu of warranty obligations and estimated warranty expense are recorded as an adjustment to the cost of sales. Estimated warranty costs, which are recorded as obligations at the time of sale, are based on the historical failure rate of each individual product line. Our historical experience has been that failure rates are relatively consistent over time and that the ultimate cost of warranty claims has been driven by volume of units sold as opposed to fluctuations in failure rates or the variation of the cost of individual claims. If warranty reserves were changed 10% from our estimated reserves at December 31, 2017, the financial impact would have been approximately $4 million or 0.3% of pretax income for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Self-Insurance Reserves:

We use a combination of insurance and self-insurance mechanisms to provide for potential liabilities from workers’ compensation, general liability, vehicle liability, property loss, and Team Member health care benefits. With the exception of certain Team Member health care benefit liabilities, employment related claims and litigation, certain commercial litigation and certain regulatory matters, we obtain third-party insurance coverage to limit our exposure for any individual workers’ compensation, general liability, vehicle liability or property loss claim. When estimating our self-insurance liabilities, we consider a number of factors, including historical claims experience and trend-lines, projected medical and legal inflation, growth patterns and exposure forecasts. The assumptions made by management as they relate to each of these factors represent our judgment as to the most probable cumulative impact of each factor to our future obligations. Our calculation of self-insurance liabilities requires management to apply judgment to estimate the ultimate cost to settle reported claims and claims incurred but not yet reported as of the balance sheet date, and the application of alternative assumptions could result in a different estimate of these liabilities. Actual claim activity or development may vary from our assumptions and estimates, which may result in material losses or gains. As we obtain additional information that affects the assumptions and estimates we used to recognize liabilities for claims incurred in prior accounting periods, we adjust our self-insurance liabilities to reflect the revised estimates based on this additional information. These liabilities are recorded at our estimate of their net present value, using a credit-adjusted discount rate. These liabilities do not have scheduled maturities, but we can estimate the timing of future payments based upon historical patterns. We could apply alternative assumptions regarding the timing of payments or the applicable discount rate that could result in materially different estimates of the net present value of the liabilities. If self-insurance reserves were changed 10% from our estimated reserves at December 31, 2017, the financial impact would have been approximately $14 million or 0.8% of pretax income for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Legal Reserves:

We maintain reserves for expenses associated with litigation, for which O’Reilly is currently involved. We are currently involved in litigation incidental to the ordinary conduct of our business. Management, with the assistance of outside legal counsel, must make estimates of potential legal obligations and possible liabilities arising from such litigation and records reserves for these expenditures. If legal reserves were changed 10% from our estimated reserves at December 31, 2017, the financial impact would have been approximately $3 million or 0.2% of pretax income for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Taxes:

We operate within multiple taxing jurisdictions and are subject to audit in these jurisdictions. These audits can involve complex issues, which may require an extended period of time to resolve. We regularly review our potential tax liabilities for tax years subject to audit. The amount of such liabilities is based on various factors, such as differing interpretations of tax regulations by the responsible tax authority, experience with previous tax audits and applicable tax law rulings. Changes in our tax liability may occur in the future as our assessments change based on the progress of tax examinations in various jurisdictions and/or changes in tax regulations. In management’s opinion, adequate provisions for income taxes have been made for all years presented. The estimates of our potential tax liabilities contain uncertainties because management must use judgment to estimate the exposures associated with our various tax positions and actual results could differ from our estimates. Alternatively, we could have applied assumptions regarding the eventual outcome of the resolution of open tax positions that could differ from our current estimates but would still be reasonable given the nature of a particular position. While our estimates are subject to the uncertainty noted in the preceding discussion, our initial estimates of our potential tax liabilities have historically not been materially different from actual results, except in instances where we have reversed liabilities that were recorded for periods that were subsequently closed with the applicable taxing authority.

INFLATION AND SEASONALITY

For the last three fiscal years, we have generally been successful in reducing the effects of merchandise cost increases principally by taking advantage of supplier incentive programs, economies of scale resulting from increased volume of purchases and selective forward buying. To the extent our acquisition cost increased due to price increases industry-wide, we have typically been able to pass along these

increased costs through higher retail prices for the affected products. As a result, we do not believe inflation has had a material adverse effect on our operations.

To some extent, our business is seasonal primarily as a result of the impact of weather conditions on customer buying patterns. While we have historically realized operating profits in each quarter of the year, our store sales and profits have historically been higher in the second and third quarters (April through September) than in the first and fourth quarters (October through March) of the year.

QUARTERLY RESULTS

The following tables set forth certain quarterly unaudited operating data for fiscal years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. The unaudited quarterly information includes all adjustments, which management considers necessary for a fair presentation of the information shown (in thousands, except per share and comparable store sales data):

	Fiscal 2017
	First Quarter				Second Quarter				Third Quarter				Fourth Quarter
Comparable store sales	0.8		%		1.7		%		1.8		%		1.3		%
Sales	$	2,156,259			$	2,290,829			$	2,339,830			$	2,190,808
Gross profit	1,131,147				1,200,062				1,230,294				1,159,180
Operating income	403,157				457,445				461,963				402,835
Net income	264,934				282,821				283,734				302,315
Earnings per share – basic (1)	$	2.88			$	3.14			$	3.26			$	3.56
Earnings per share – assuming dilution (1)	$	2.83			$	3.10			$	3.22			$	3.52

	Fiscal 2016
	First Quarter				Second Quarter				Third Quarter				Fourth Quarter
Comparable store sales	6.1		%		4.3		%		4.2		%		4.8		%
Sales	$	2,096,150			$	2,176,689			$	2,220,955			$	2,099,302
Gross profit	1,097,579				1,127,179				1,170,026				1,114,227
Operating income	418,626				425,061				447,809				407,710
Net income	255,374				257,794				278,493				246,030
Earnings per share – basic (1)	$	2.63			$	2.69			$	2.93			$	2.62
Earnings per share – assuming dilution (1)	$	2.59			$	2.65			$	2.90			$	2.59

(1)	Earnings per share amounts are computed independently for each quarter and annual period. The quarterly earnings per share amounts may not sum to equal the full-year earnings per share amount.

The unaudited operating data presented above should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this annual report, and the other financial information included therein.

RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In May of 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2014-09”). Under ASU 2014-09, an entity is required to follow a five-step process to determine the amount of revenue to recognize when promised goods or services are transferred to customers. ASU 2014-09 offers specific accounting guidance for costs to obtain or fulfill a contract with a customer. In addition, an entity is required to disclose sufficient information to understand the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. In August of 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date” (“ASU 2015-14”), to defer the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. For public companies, ASU 2015-14 changes ASU 2014-09 to be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. These ASUs can be adopted retrospectively or as a cumulative-effective adjustment at the date of adoption. We have substantially completed our evaluation of the impact of the adoption of ASU 2014-09, and we will adopt this guidance beginning with our first quarter ending March 31, 2018, using the modified retrospective transition method. Results for annual reporting periods beginning after December 31, 2017, will be presented under ASU 2014-09, while prior period amounts will not be adjusted and will continue to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for the prior periods. Our primary source of revenue is derived from the sale of automotive aftermarket parts to our customers, and generally, our performance

obligations are satisfied immediately when the parts are delivered to the customer, which normally occurs the same day the customer orders the part. As such, the adoption of the new standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows; further, we do not expect significant changes to our business process, internal controls or systems as a result of adopting ASU 2014-09.

In February of 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” (“ASU 2016-02”). Under ASU 2016-02, an entity will be required to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on its balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 offers specific accounting guidance for a lessee, a lessor and sale and leaseback transactions. Lessees and lessors are required to disclose qualitative and quantitative information about leasing arrangements to enable a user of the financial statements to assess the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. For public companies, ASU 2016-02 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period, and requires a modified retrospective adoption, with early adoption permitted. We will adopt this guidance beginning with our first quarter ending March 31, 2019. We have established a task force, composed of multiple functional groups inside of the Company, which is currently in the process of evaluating critical components of this new guidance and the potential impact of the guidance on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Based on the preliminary work completed, we are considering the potential implications of the new standard on determining the discount rate to be used in valuing new and existing leases, the treatment of existing favorable and unfavorable lease agreements acquired in connection with previous acquisitions, procedural and operational changes that may be necessary to comply with the provisions of the guidance and all applicable financial statement disclosures required by the guidance, all of which are areas that could potentially be impacted by adoption of the guidance. At this time, the task force has not completed its full evaluation; however, we believe the adoption of the new guidance will have a material impact on the total assets and total liabilities reported on our consolidated balance sheets.

In March of 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU 2016-09”). Under ASU 2016-09, several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including tax consequence, classification of awards as equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows, were changed. We adopted this guidance with our first quarter ending March 31, 2017. Upon adoption of ASU 2016-09, we elected to change our accounting policy to account for forfeitures as they occur; this change was applied using the modified retrospective transition method with a cumulative effect adjustment of $0.3 million to opening “Retained earnings” on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2017. We applied the amendments related to the presentation of tax withholdings on the statements of cash flows using the retrospective transition method, which resulted in $0.6 million and $0.9 million of tax withholdings being reclassified from “Net cash provided by operating activities” to “Net cash used in financing activities” on the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. We elected to apply the amendments related to the presentation of excess tax benefits on the statements of cash flows using the retrospective transition method, which resulted in $56.0 million and $63.1 million of excess tax benefits related to share-based compensation being reclassified from “Net cash used in financing activities” to “Net cash provided by operating activities” in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. ASU 2016-09 amendments related to accounting for excess tax benefits in the income statement have been adopted prospectively, resulting in the reduction of $48.7 million in “Provision for income taxes” in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Income for the year ended December 31, 2017, which lowered our effective tax rate, increased dilutive shares outstanding and increased diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2017, by $0.50.

In June of 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“ASU 2016-13”). Under ASU 2016-13, businesses and other organizations are required to present financial assets, measured at amortized costs basis, at the net amount expected to be collected. The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis, such as trade receivables. The measurement of expected credit loss will be based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectibility of the reported amount. For public companies, ASU 2016-13 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that reporting period, and requires a modified retrospective adoption, with early adoption permitted. We will adopt this guidance beginning with our first quarter ending March 31, 2020. The application of this new guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

In August of 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force)” (“ASU 2016-15”). ASU 2016-15 reduces the existing diversity in practice for eight specific parts on cash flow statement presentation and classification: debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs; settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments; contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims; proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance (COLI) policies; distributions received from equity method investments; beneficial interests in securitization transactions; and separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. For public companies, ASU 2016-15 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period, and requires retrospective

adoption, with early adoption permitted. We will adopt this guidance beginning with our first quarter ending March 31, 2018. The application of this new guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

In January of 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business” (“ASU 2017-01”). ASU 2017-01 revises the definition of a business in the Accounting Standards Codification and clarifies the guidance for determining whether the purchase or disposal of an asset or group of assets qualifies as the purchase or disposal of a business. For public companies, ASU 2017-01 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period, and requires prospective adoption, with early adoption permitted with certain conditions. We will adopt this guidance beginning with our first quarter ending March 31, 2018. The application of this new guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

In January of 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment” (“ASU 2017-04”). ASU 2017-04 eliminates the second step in the previous process for goodwill impairment testing; instead, the test is now a one-step process that calls for goodwill impairment loss to be measured as the excess of the reporting unit’s carrying amount over its fair value. For public companies, ASU 2017-04 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that reporting period, and requires prospective adoption, with early adoption after January 1, 2017. We will adopt this guidance beginning with our first quarter ending March 31, 2019. The application of this new guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

In May of 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting” (“ASU 2017-09”). ASU 2017-09 provides clarity and reduces both the diversity in practice and cost and complexity when applying stock compensation guidance to a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. For public companies, ASU 2017-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period, and requires prospective adoption, with early adoption permitted. We will adopt this guidance beginning with our first quarter ending March 31, 2018. The application of this new guidance is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.