Monro Muffler Brake (NASDAQ:MNRO) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer

Monro Muffler Brake (NASDAQ:MNRO) was upgraded by analysts at Oppenheimer from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report issued on Wednesday. The brokerage presently has a $40.00 price target on the auto parts company’s stock. Oppenheimer’s price target indicates a potential upside of 87.62% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Monro Muffler Brake in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Monro Muffler Brake from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Monro Muffler Brake from $18.00 to $16.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Monro Muffler Brake has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $23.25.

Monro Muffler Brake Price Performance

Shares of Monro Muffler Brake stock opened at $21.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $640.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -45.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $20.33 and a 200-day moving average price of $18.23. Monro Muffler Brake has a one year low of $12.19 and a one year high of $21.77.

Monro Muffler Brake (NASDAQ:MNRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The auto parts company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $293.39 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $295.19 million. Monro Muffler Brake had a positive return on equity of 2.69% and a negative net margin of 1.06%.Monro Muffler Brake’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.19 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Monro Muffler Brake will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Monro Muffler Brake

In other news, CEO Peter D. Fitzsimmons purchased 12,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $19.68 per share, with a total value of $250,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 112,033 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,204,809.44. This represents a 12.84% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in shares of Monro Muffler Brake by 61.5% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,996 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Monro Muffler Brake by 138.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 124,222 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,489,000 after purchasing an additional 72,204 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Monro Muffler Brake by 72.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 12,609 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 5,291 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new position in shares of Monro Muffler Brake during the third quarter worth $504,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Monro Muffler Brake by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 91,446 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,643,000 after purchasing an additional 2,513 shares during the last quarter.

About Monro Muffler Brake

Monro Muffler Brake (NASDAQ:MNRO) is a leading provider of undercar repair and maintenance services for light vehicles in the United States. The company’s core offerings include brake systems, exhaust systems, steering and suspension repairs, tire sales and service, oil and lube changes, wheel alignment, multi-point inspections, and state vehicle inspections. Monro serves both retail customers and fleet accounts, focusing on fast, reliable service and preventive maintenance to help extend vehicle life and safety.

Headquartered in Rochester, New York, Monro was originally founded in 1957 and has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.