Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) EVP Sells $56,220.56 in Stock

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) EVP Tammy M. Finley sold 1,276 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.06, for a total value of $56,220.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 24,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,069,159.96. The trade was a 5.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Advance Auto Parts Trading Up 3.1 %

Advance Auto Parts stock opened at $44.97 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a 12 month low of $35.59 and a 12 month high of $88.56. The stock has a market cap of $2.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.60 and a beta of 1.21.

Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.53). Advance Auto Parts had a net margin of 0.41% and a return on equity of 1.82%. The company had revenue of $2.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.82) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Advance Auto Parts, Inc. will post -0.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Advance Auto Parts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 10th. Advance Auto Parts’s dividend payout ratio is currently 136.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Advance Auto Parts

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 1,241.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 644 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 56.7% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts in the 2nd quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,749 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. 88.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on AAP shares. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Advance Auto Parts in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $68.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $60.00 to $43.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $45.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $65.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.64.

Advance Auto Parts Company Profile

Advance Auto Parts, Inc provides automotive replacement parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items for domestic and imported cars, vans, sport utility vehicles, and light and heavy duty trucks. The company offers battery accessories; belts and hoses; brakes and brake pads; chassis and climate control parts; clutches and drive shafts; engines and engine parts; exhaust systems and parts; hub assemblies; ignition components and wires; radiators and cooling parts; starters and alternators; and steering and alignment parts.