Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service decreased its holdings in shares of Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 218,702 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,307 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $25,536,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Genuine Parts by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 4,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $625,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Genuine Parts by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Marco Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Genuine Parts by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC now owns 7,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,104,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Hartford Financial Management Inc. increased its stake in Genuine Parts by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 18,715 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,185,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its stake in Genuine Parts by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,788 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $533,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.83% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GPC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Genuine Parts to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Genuine Parts in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of Genuine Parts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Genuine Parts from $128.00 to $125.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Genuine Parts from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Genuine Parts presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $137.63.

Genuine Parts Price Performance

GPC opened at $125.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 1.16. Genuine Parts has a 1-year low of $112.74 and a 1-year high of $164.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $118.94 and a 200-day moving average of $126.58. The company has a market capitalization of $17.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.32 and a beta of 0.94.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty retailer reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.07. Genuine Parts had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 25.28%. The business had revenue of $5.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.26 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Genuine Parts will post 7.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Genuine Parts Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. This is a positive change from Genuine Parts’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Genuine Parts’s payout ratio is presently 63.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Genuine Parts

In related news, Director Wendy B. Needham sold 1,608 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.78, for a total value of $194,214.24. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,357 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,698.46. The trade was a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Genuine Parts

Genuine Parts Company distributes automotive replacement parts, and industrial parts and materials. It operates in two segments: Automotive Parts Group and Industrial Parts Group segments. The company distributes automotive replacement parts for hybrid and electric vehicles, trucks, SUVs, buses, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, farm vehicles, small engines, farm equipment, marine equipment, and heavy duty equipment; and equipment and parts used by repair shops, service stations, fleet operators, automobile and truck dealers, leasing companies, bus and truck lines, mass merchandisers, farms, and individuals.