Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC)

Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 4,205 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 304% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,040 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider James F. Howe sold 415 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.33, for a total transaction of $43,296.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 25,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,669,700.37. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Genuine Parts

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Olistico Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Genuine Parts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Genuine Parts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its position in Genuine Parts by 213.0% during the 4th quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 241 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Genuine Parts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Genuine Parts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Genuine Parts in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $122.00 price objective on shares of Genuine Parts in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised Genuine Parts from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 25th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Genuine Parts in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Genuine Parts from $124.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.00.

Genuine Parts Stock Performance

Shares of GPC opened at $119.94 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $16.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 479.77 and a beta of 0.63. Genuine Parts has a twelve month low of $90.78 and a twelve month high of $151.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $109.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.48.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The specialty retailer reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.07. Genuine Parts had a net margin of 0.13% and a return on equity of 22.59%. The company had revenue of $6.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Genuine Parts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Genuine Parts will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Genuine Parts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $1.0625 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. This represents a $4.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Genuine Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,700.00%.

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.