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Investing.com - Citi raised its price target on Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP) to $60.00 from $49.00 while maintaining a Neutral rating, following the auto parts retailer’s announcement of a $1.5 billion debt offering. The stock, currently trading at $59.20, has shown strong momentum with a 24.6% return over the past six months despite its weak overall financial health score.
The company plans to issue the new debt and enter a new ABL facility to support its supply chain financing program after losing its investment grade status, according to Citi analyst Steven Zaccone.
While the debt offering will improve AAP’s liquidity position, Citi noted the higher cost of capital will likely be dilutive to earnings per share, with exact details expected during the company’s August 14 earnings call.
Advance Auto Parts also pre-announced second-quarter results, which the company described as toward the high-end of internal expectations but fell below market expectations compared to O’Reilly (NASDAQ:ORLY) Automotive’s recent results.
Citi indicated the timing of the debt announcement was unclear but viewed it as a prudent decision to eliminate supply chain financing risk and allow the company to focus on its business turnaround.
In other recent news, Advance Auto Parts announced its preliminary second-quarter 2025 financial results, reporting comparable store sales growth ranging from 0.0% to 0.1%, with expected net sales between $1.98 billion and $2.00 billion. The company also disclosed an anticipated adjusted operating income margin of 2.8% to 3.0% for the quarter. Additionally, Advance Auto Parts launched a $1.5 billion senior unsecured notes offering in a private transaction, which is part of its strategy to refinance debt. This move includes a new five-year asset-based loan revolving credit facility of up to $1 billion. In response to these developments, DA Davidson raised its price target for the company to $65, maintaining a Neutral rating. However, Moody’s downgraded Advance Auto Parts to Ba3, citing increased debt levels and higher leverage concerns. Similarly, S&P Global Ratings downgraded the company to ’BB’, highlighting elevated leverage and execution risks in its turnaround plan. These ratings reflect concerns about the company’s ability to manage its strategic initiatives effectively.
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