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

Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $148.00.

A number of research analysts recently commented on GPC shares. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Genuine Parts from $143.00 to $146.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Genuine Parts from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Genuine Parts from $148.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Genuine Parts from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $142.00 in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Genuine Parts from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th.

Genuine Parts Stock Up 1.5%

GPC opened at $135.86 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $127.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.36. Genuine Parts has a 1-year low of $104.01 and a 1-year high of $143.48. The stock has a market cap of $18.90 billion, a PE ratio of 23.38 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.02 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.12 billion. Genuine Parts had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 22.57%. Genuine Parts’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.88 earnings per share. Genuine Parts has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.500-7.750 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Genuine Parts will post 7.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Genuine Parts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Genuine Parts’s payout ratio is presently 70.91%.

Institutional Trading of Genuine Parts

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPC. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Genuine Parts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Financial Planning Hawaii Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Genuine Parts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $473,000. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC grew its position in Genuine Parts by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 4,349 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $535,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC increased its stake in Genuine Parts by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 30,307 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,727,000 after acquiring an additional 2,184 shares during the period. Finally, Goelzer Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Genuine Parts during the 4th quarter worth $790,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.83% of the company’s stock.

About Genuine Parts

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.