For the quarter ended March 2023, Advance Auto Parts (AAP Quick QuoteAAP - Free Report) reported revenue of $3.42 billion, up 1.3% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $0.72, compared to $3.57 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of -0.27% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.43 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $2.60, the EPS surprise was -72.31%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Advance Auto Parts performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Comparable store sales - YoY change: -0.4% versus 0.28% estimated by nine analysts on average.
• Number of stores (BOP): 5086 versus 5048 estimated by three analysts on average.
• Number of stores (Retail) - Total: 5096 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 5266.67.
• Number of stores opened: 21 versus the two-analyst average estimate of 21.5.

View all Key Company Metrics for Advance Auto Parts here>>>

Shares of Advance Auto Parts have returned -9.6% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.1% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.