Baupost Group LLC MA Acquires 91,088 Shares of Genuine Parts Company $GPC

Key Points

• Baupost Group increased its stake in Genuine Parts by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, adding 91,088 shares and bringing its total to 1,486,088 shares worth about $182.7 million.
• Genuine Parts posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings, reporting $1.77 EPS versus the $1.75 estimate and revenue of $6.26 billion, up 6.8% from a year earlier.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.0625 per share, implying an annualized yield of 4.1%, while analysts currently have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $143.71 target price.

Baupost Group LLC MA boosted its holdings in Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC - Free Report) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,486,088 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 91,088 shares during the quarter. Genuine Parts comprises 3.5% of Baupost Group LLC MA's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Baupost Group LLC MA owned 1.07% of Genuine Parts worth $182,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. United Asset Strategies Inc. increased its holdings in Genuine Parts by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 4,492 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Genuine Parts by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. J2 Capital Management Inc now owns 4,136 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $509,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Genuine Parts by 0.6% during the third quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 14,806 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,052,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Genuine Parts by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,173 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,743,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Matrix Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Genuine Parts by 27.6% during the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 393 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Genuine Parts

In related news, insider James F. Howe sold 415 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.33, for a total transaction of $43,296.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 25,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,669,700.37. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GPC has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Genuine Parts from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Genuine Parts from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Genuine Parts in a report on Friday, March 27th. Evercore set a $160.00 price objective on Genuine Parts in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Genuine Parts from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $143.71.

Genuine Parts Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of Genuine Parts stock opened at $103.69 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $102.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $117.42. Genuine Parts Company has a 12-month low of $90.78 and a 12-month high of $151.57. The company has a market capitalization of $14.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 241.14 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.02. Genuine Parts had a return on equity of 22.28% and a net margin of 0.24%.The business had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.75 earnings per share. Genuine Parts's revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Genuine Parts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Genuine Parts Company will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Genuine Parts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $4.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. Genuine Parts's dividend payout ratio is 988.37%.

Genuine Parts 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.

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