Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) Position Increased by Towle & Co.

Towle & Co. increased its stake in Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 352,778 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,123 shares during the period. Advance Auto Parts accounts for 2.9% of Towle & Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Towle & Co. owned approximately 0.59% of Advance Auto Parts worth $16,683,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 75.9% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,119 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 914 shares during the last quarter. Annandale Capital LLC increased its position in Advance Auto Parts by 46.6% in the 4th quarter. Annandale Capital LLC now owns 109,241 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,166,000 after acquiring an additional 34,746 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Advance Auto Parts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $8,822,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in Advance Auto Parts by 97.2% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 305,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,453,000 after acquiring an additional 150,604 shares during the period. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in Advance Auto Parts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,586,000. Institutional investors own 88.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Advance Auto Parts

In related news, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. acquired 14,640 shares of Advance Auto Parts stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $34.15 per share, with a total value of $499,956.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 34,070 shares in the company, valued at $1,163,490.50. The trade was a 75.35% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Shane M. Okelly acquired 1,500 shares of Advance Auto Parts stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $36.79 per share, with a total value of $55,185.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 183,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,737,021.59. This represents a 0.83% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Advance Auto Parts Stock Performance

AAP opened at $34.99 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a PE ratio of 47.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.34. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $28.89 and a fifty-two week high of $74.59.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AAP has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Advance Auto Parts in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Advance Auto Parts from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Advance Auto Parts from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Advance Auto Parts from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Advance Auto Parts from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.13.

Advance Auto Parts 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.