Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $145.5714.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on GPC shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on Genuine Parts from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Genuine Parts from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Truist Financial set a $127.00 price target on shares of Genuine Parts and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Evercore set a $160.00 target price on shares of Genuine Parts in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Genuine Parts in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GPC. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Genuine Parts in the 4th quarter valued at about $293,471,000. Baupost Group LLC MA purchased a new stake in shares of Genuine Parts during the third quarter worth approximately $193,347,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Genuine Parts by 7,774.2% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,234,984 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $151,854,000 after buying an additional 1,219,300 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. acquired a new stake in Genuine Parts in the second quarter valued at approximately $107,015,000. Finally, Interval Partners LP raised its holdings in Genuine Parts by 422.5% in the third quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 932,596 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $129,258,000 after acquiring an additional 754,117 shares in the last quarter. 78.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Genuine Parts Stock Down 1.2%

NYSE:GPC opened at $105.68 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $129.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.07. Genuine Parts has a 52 week low of $104.01 and a 52 week high of $151.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 229.74 and a beta of 0.75.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The specialty retailer reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $6.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.06 billion. Genuine Parts had a net margin of 0.27% and a return on equity of 22.28%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.61 earnings per share. Genuine Parts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Genuine Parts will post 7.9 EPS for the current year.

Genuine Parts Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $1.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from Genuine Parts’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Genuine Parts’s payout ratio is 923.91%.

Genuine Parts Company Profile

Genuine Parts Company (NYSE: GPC) is a global distributor of automotive replacement parts, industrial parts and business products with a history dating back to 1928. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company operates a broad distribution network and retail presence serving repair shops, independent retailers, industrial customers and commercial accounts. Its business model centers on stocking and delivering a wide range of parts and supplies to support aftermarket and maintenance needs across multiple end markets.

Genuine Parts conducts its operations through several well-known operating groups and subsidiaries.