Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel lowered its holdings in Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP - Free Report) by 41.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 42,478 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,637 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel owned approximately 0.07% of Advance Auto Parts worth $2,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AAP. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Advance Auto Parts in the 3rd quarter valued at $14,684,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 212.4% in the third quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 31,357 shares of the company's stock worth $1,223,000 after buying an additional 21,320 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts in the third quarter valued at about $579,000. Moody National Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Advance Auto Parts during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,196,000. Finally, FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in Advance Auto Parts during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,144,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.75% of the company's stock.

Advance Auto Parts Stock Performance

Shares of Advance Auto Parts stock traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $48.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,374,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,609,028. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a one year low of $35.59 and a one year high of $88.56. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $45.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.53. 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 stock has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.15.

Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 14th. The company reported ($0.04) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.53). The company had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.62 billion. Advance Auto Parts had a net margin of 0.41% and a return on equity of 1.82%. The business's revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.82) earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Advance Auto Parts, Inc. will post -0.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AAP shares. Roth Capital upgraded shares of Advance Auto Parts to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Advance Auto Parts in a report on Friday, November 15th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of Advance Auto Parts in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Advance Auto Parts from $45.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $47.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Tammy M. Finley sold 1,276 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.06, for a total transaction of $56,220.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 24,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,069,159.96. This represents a 5.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Advance Auto Parts Company 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.