Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System decreased its position in shares of Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,314 shares of the company’s stock after selling 281 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Advance Auto Parts were worth $1,606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 190.0% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 406 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Advance Auto Parts by 264.6% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 594.2% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 840 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 719 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Advance Auto Parts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on AAP shares. TheStreet raised Advance Auto Parts from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Advance Auto Parts from $82.00 to $78.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $47.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Barclays upped their price objective on Advance Auto Parts from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $55.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $64.56.

Advance Auto Parts Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE AAP traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $74.60. 60,948 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,738,343. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a 1-year low of $47.73 and a 1-year high of $127.31. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.68. The company has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 100.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.20.

Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.59) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.83). The company had revenue of $2.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.47 billion. Advance Auto Parts had a return on equity of 1.68% and a net margin of 0.39%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.88 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Advance Auto Parts, Inc. will post 3.94 EPS for the current year.

Advance Auto Parts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 12th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 11th. Advance Auto Parts’s dividend payout ratio is presently 135.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Advance Auto Parts

In other Advance Auto Parts news, Director Brent Windom acquired 4,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $85.34 per share, with a total value of $401,098.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $853,400. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Carla Jean Bailo purchased 310 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $81.19 per share, with a total value of $25,168.90. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,789 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,008.91. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Brent Windom acquired 4,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $85.34 per share, with a total value of $401,098.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $853,400. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Advance Auto Parts

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.