Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) Shares Purchased by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC - Free Report) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 52,487 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 7,397 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $6,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Genuine Parts during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Genuine Parts during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Genuine Parts in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc purchased a new position in shares of Genuine Parts in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Genuine Parts in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPC has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Genuine Parts from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 26th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Genuine Parts from $133.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Northcoast Research cut shares of Genuine Parts from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Genuine Parts from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Genuine Parts to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $130.86.

Genuine Parts Price Performance

NYSE:GPC traded up $1.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $128.67. 2,063,023 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,273,165. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $117.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.70. Genuine Parts has a 1 year low of $104.01 and a 1 year high of $154.84. The company has a market cap of $17.86 billion, a PE ratio of 19.89 and a beta of 0.76.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.83 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Genuine Parts will post 7.9 EPS for the current year.

Genuine Parts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. Genuine Parts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.65%.

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.