Skip to main content

Market Overview

Sterne Agee Initiates Coverage On 'Top Pick' Advance Auto Parts

Share:

Sterne Agee initiated coverage on Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE: AAP) with a Buy rating and $165 price target. The firm's aftermarket auto parts analyst report named it a Top Pick.

According to analysts Ali Faghri and Michael Ward, “The secular shift to the faster growing and larger [Do-It-For-Me (DIFM)] segment favors companies with a strong commercial focus.”

“Advance Auto Part’s acquisition of General Parts International in early 2014 presents an opportunity for earnings accretion as the company executes on integration. Even after a significant move post the deal, we see upside to shares as strong free cash flow should allow the company to quickly deleverage and resume share repurchases,” according to Faghri.

The report noted that “AAP has historically traded at a forward P/E multiple of 14.0x. Relative to our 2015 EPS estimate, AAP is trading at 16.6x. On an EV/EBITDA basis, AAP is currently trading at 8.5x our 2015 EBITDA estimate, above its historical average of 6.5x.”

The $165 price target is based on an 18.0x FY 2015 EPS estimate of $8.82 and 10.0x the FY 2015 EBITDA estimate of $1.38 billion.

Faghri concluded, “a premium multiple is warranted given earnings accretion and potential synergies from the [General Parts International] transaction.”

Advance Auto Parts recently traded at $145.44, up 0.38 percent.

Latest Ratings for AAP

DateFirmActionFromTo
Feb 2022CitigroupMaintainsBuy
Feb 2022Morgan StanleyMaintainsEqual-Weight
Feb 2022Wells FargoMaintainsEqual-Weight

View More Analyst Ratings for AAP

View the Latest Analyst Ratings

 

Related Articles (AAP)

View Comments and Join the Discussion!

Posted-In: ali faghri Michael Ward Sterne AgeeAnalyst Color Price Target Initiation Analyst Ratings

Latest Ratings

StockFirmActionPT
SEDGB of A SecuritiesMaintains411.0
PTLOPiper SandlerMaintains28.0
AOUTLake StreetMaintains26.0
RAPTPiper SandlerMaintains52.0
OCXLake StreetMaintains6.0
View the Latest Analytics Ratings
Don't Miss Any Updates!
News Directly in Your Inbox
Subscribe to:
Benzinga Premarket Activity
Get pre-market outlook, mid-day update and after-market roundup emails in your inbox.
Market in 5 Minutes
Everything you need to know about the market - quick & easy.
Fintech Focus
A daily collection of all things fintech, interesting developments and market updates.
SPAC
Everything you need to know about the latest SPAC news.
Thank You

Thank you for subscribing! If you have any questions feel free to call us at 1-877-440-ZING or email us at vipaccounts@benzinga.com