Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) Shares Sold by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP lessened its position in Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) by 54.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,998 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,889 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Advance Auto Parts were worth $520,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Goodman Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. Goodman Financial Corp now owns 302,495 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,305,000 after buying an additional 67,116 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Advance Auto Parts by 107.5% during the 4th quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 14,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $696,000 after acquiring an additional 7,623 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Advance Auto Parts during the 4th quarter worth $1,087,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 2,662.0% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,293,205 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,156,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,384 shares in the last quarter. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Advance Auto Parts during the fourth quarter valued at $212,000. 88.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Advance Auto Parts

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

Advance Auto Parts Trading Up 6.7 %

NYSE AAP opened at $40.36 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $42.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.34. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.08 and a twelve month high of $86.47. The stock has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.29, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.27.

Advance Auto Parts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. Advance Auto Parts’s dividend payout ratio is -17.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AAP. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price 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 decreased their price target on Advance Auto Parts from $47.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Advance Auto Parts from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Advance Auto Parts from $66.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $45.13.

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.