American Century Companies Inc. Sells 108,788 Shares of Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP)

American Century Companies Inc. decreased its holdings in Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 804,838 shares of the company’s stock after selling 108,788 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Advance Auto Parts were worth $38,061,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 564.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 23,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $931,000 after acquiring an additional 20,293 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Advance Auto Parts by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 7,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts during the third quarter worth $2,144,000. Clearline Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 9.8% during the third quarter. Clearline Capital LP now owns 445,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,360,000 after buying an additional 39,699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 72.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 159,050 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,201,000 after acquiring an additional 66,690 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.75% of the company’s stock.

Advance Auto Parts Stock Up 6.7 %

Shares of AAP opened at $40.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.29, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.27. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.08 and a 12 month high of $86.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $42.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Advance Auto Parts Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Advance Auto Parts from $39.00 to $34.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Advance Auto Parts in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $66.00 to $54.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $45.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. purchased 14,640 shares of Advance Auto Parts stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $34.15 per share, for a total transaction of $499,956.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,163,490.50. This trade represents a 75.35 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Shane M. Okelly acquired 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $36.79 per share, for a total transaction of $55,185.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 183,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,737,021.59. The trade was 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 company insiders.

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.