Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP) Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP - Free Report) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,728,289 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 297,741 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 4.57% of Advance Auto Parts worth $129,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cooper Creek Partners Management LLC acquired a new position in Advance Auto Parts during the 4th quarter valued at about $75,055,000. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 2,585.1% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,353,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,026,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303,488 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Advance Auto Parts by 2,662.0% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,293,205 shares of the company's stock valued at $61,156,000 after buying an additional 1,246,384 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new stake in Advance Auto Parts during the fourth quarter worth $34,586,000. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Advance Auto Parts by 244.7% in the 4th quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 740,234 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,006,000 after buying an additional 525,504 shares during the last quarter. 88.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Advance Auto Parts Price Performance

Shares of Advance Auto Parts stock traded up $0.11 during trading on Thursday, reaching $32.83. 394,267 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,220,544. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Advance Auto Parts, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.89 and a 52-week high of $77.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.75. The company has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.07.

Advance Auto Parts Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 11th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 11th. Advance Auto Parts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -17.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AAP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Advance Auto Parts from $66.00 to $54.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets decreased 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. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Advance Auto Parts from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $45.13.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Shane M. Okelly purchased 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,737,021.59. This trade represents a 0.83 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Eugene I. Lee, Jr. bought 14,640 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $34.15 per share, with a total value of $499,956.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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.