Empowered Funds LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Genuine Parts Company $GPC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its Genuine Parts stake by 283.3% in the first quarter, adding 31,626 shares to hold 42,789 shares valued at approximately $4.5 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 78.83%, with Norges Bank, Baupost Group and Northwestern Mutual among other major investors increasing or initiating positions.
• Genuine Parts exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.15 in EPS and $6.54 billion in revenue, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $145.

Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC - Free Report) by 283.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,789 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 31,626 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $4,525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GPC. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Genuine Parts during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $293,471,000. Baupost Group LLC MA purchased a new position in shares of Genuine Parts in the third quarter valued at $193,347,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Genuine Parts by 7,774.2% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,234,984 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $151,854,000 after purchasing an additional 1,219,300 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Genuine Parts during the 3rd quarter valued at $61,321,000. Finally, Jain Global LLC acquired a new stake in Genuine Parts during the 4th quarter valued at $53,782,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on GPC shares. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Genuine Parts from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $122.00 target price on shares of Genuine Parts in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Genuine Parts from $124.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded Genuine Parts from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, May 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Genuine Parts in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $145.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Genuine Parts

In other Genuine Parts news, insider James F. Howe sold 415 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 25,589 shares of the company's stock, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Genuine Parts Price Performance

Shares of GPC opened at $124.57 on Monday. Genuine Parts Company has a 52 week low of $90.78 and a 52 week high of $151.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market cap of $17.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 498.28 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $113.71 and a 200-day moving average of $115.54.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The specialty retailer reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.07. Genuine Parts had a return on equity of 22.59% and a net margin of 0.13%.The business had revenue of $6.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. The business'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. As a group, analysts forecast that Genuine Parts Company will post 7.72 EPS for the current year.

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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