Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) Receives $130.86 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $130.86.

Several research firms have commented on GPC. Northcoast Research lowered Genuine Parts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and set a $114.00 target price (down from $133.00) on shares of Genuine Parts in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Genuine Parts in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Argus upgraded shares of Genuine Parts to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Genuine Parts from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 26th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Genuine Parts by 276.2% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,352,772 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $399,449,000 after purchasing an additional 2,461,497 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Genuine Parts in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $206,645,000. Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Genuine Parts in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,868,000. Equity Investment Corp acquired a new position in Genuine Parts during the fourth quarter worth $84,128,000. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position in Genuine Parts by 204.7% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 789,050 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $92,129,000 after acquiring an additional 530,057 shares in the last quarter. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Genuine Parts Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:GPC opened at $121.29 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $117.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.53. Genuine Parts has a twelve month low of $104.01 and a twelve month high of $158.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $16.83 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75 and a beta of 0.76.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.09. Genuine Parts had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 25.28%. The firm had revenue of $5.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.83 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Genuine Parts will post 7.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Genuine Parts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. Genuine Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.65%.

Genuine Parts Company Profile

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.