Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Buys 1,246,384 Shares of Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP - Free Report) by 2,662.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,293,205 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,246,384 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 2.16% of Advance Auto Parts worth $61,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 207.4% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 541 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Advance Auto Parts by 1,543.4% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 871 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 818 shares in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Advance Auto Parts in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,749 shares of the company's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 198.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,047 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.75% of the company's stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. purchased 14,640 shares of Advance Auto Parts stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased 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 directly owns 34,070 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,163,490.50. The trade was a 75.35 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 shares were bought at an average price of $36.79 per share, for a total transaction of $55,185.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 183,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,737,021.59. This trade represents a 0.83 % 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 Stock Up 3.2 %

AAP traded up $1.22 during trading on Monday, hitting $38.68. 1,705,624 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,109,164. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.98, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.27. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $43.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.90. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.08 and a 12-month high of $87.36. 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 firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 11th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. Advance Auto Parts's payout ratio is -17.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Advance Auto Parts in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Advance Auto Parts from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Evercore ISI lowered 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average 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.