First Trust Advisors LP Takes Position in Advance Auto Parts, Inc. $AAP

First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 42,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,264,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Advance Auto Parts during the third quarter worth $31,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC boosted its position in Advance Auto Parts by 53.6% in the 4th quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC now owns 883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 184.5% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 290.3% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 925 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of Advance Auto Parts in the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AAP shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Advance Auto Parts to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $65.00 target price on shares of Advance Auto Parts in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings raised Advance Auto Parts from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Advance Auto Parts from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $58.97.

Advance Auto Parts Price Performance

AAP opened at $57.83 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $57.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.88. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $37.89 and a fifty-two week high of $65.21. The firm has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.03.

Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.05 billion. Advance Auto Parts had a return on equity of 8.95% and a net margin of 0.51%.The business’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.40 earnings per share. Advance Auto Parts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.400-3.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Advance Auto Parts, Inc. will post 2.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Advance Auto Parts Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Advance Auto Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 138.89%.

Advance Auto Parts Company Profile

Advance Auto Parts, Inc (NYSE: AAP) is a leading distributor of automotive aftermarket parts, accessories, and maintenance items. The company operates a network of stores and distribution centers across North America, serving both do-it-yourself (DIY) customers and professional service providers. Advance Auto Parts focuses on offering a comprehensive selection of replacement parts, batteries, engine components, and performance products for cars and light trucks.

The company’s product portfolio includes engine oils and lubricants, cooling system components, brake and suspension parts, filters, belts, hoses, and diagnostic tools.