Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) Holdings Lifted by Towle & Co.

Towle & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 352,778 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,123 shares during the quarter. Advance Auto Parts makes up 2.9% of Towle & Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Towle & Co.’s holdings in Advance Auto Parts were worth $16,683,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Advance Auto Parts Trading Up 1.7%

Advance Auto Parts stock opened at $34.99 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.34. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a PE ratio of 47.93, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.93. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.89 and a 52 week high of $74.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Transactions at Advance Auto Parts

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