Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Purchases 1,219,300 Shares of Genuine Parts Company $GPC

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. massively increased its stake in Genuine Parts, buying 1,219,300 shares in the fourth quarter and lifting its holdings to 1,234,984 shares, worth about $151.9 million.
• Genuine Parts beat earnings expectations in its latest quarter, posting EPS of $1.77 versus estimates of $1.75 and revenue of $6.26 billion, up 6.8% year over year. The company also reaffirmed FY2026 EPS guidance of 7.50 to 8.00.
• Despite solid fundamentals and a 4.6% dividend yield, the stock has weakened, opening at $92.92 and sitting near its 52-week low. Analysts currently have a Hold consensus, with a price target of $143.71.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC - Free Report) by 7,774.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,234,984 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,219,300 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned 0.89% of Genuine Parts worth $151,854,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Conning Inc. boosted its holdings in Genuine Parts by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 246,390 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $30,296,000 after buying an additional 13,357 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its position in Genuine Parts by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 19,116 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,351,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its position in Genuine Parts by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 3,228 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 271 shares during the last quarter. Simmons Bank increased its position in shares of Genuine Parts by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Simmons Bank now owns 12,118 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,490,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Berkeley Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Genuine Parts by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,573 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,054,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.83% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Genuine Parts from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Zacks Research lowered Genuine Parts from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. UBS Group cut their target price on Genuine Parts from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial upgraded Genuine Parts from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Evercore set a $160.00 price objective on Genuine Parts in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $143.71.

Genuine Parts Trading Down 4.4%

Shares of Genuine Parts stock opened at $92.92 on Friday. Genuine Parts Company has a 1 year low of $92.83 and a 1 year high of $151.57. The firm has a market cap of $12.79 billion, a PE ratio of 216.10 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $105.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $6.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.75 EPS. The business'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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Genuine Parts Company will post 7.65 EPS for the current year.

Genuine Parts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $1.0625 per share. This represents a $4.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Genuine Parts's dividend payout ratio is currently 988.37%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider James F. Howe sold 415 shares of the business'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 sale, the insider directly owned 25,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,669,700.37. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

About Genuine Parts

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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