Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. Has $48.48 Million Stake in Genuine Parts Company $GPC

Key Points

• Schwartz Investment Counsel trimmed its Genuine Parts position by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, but still held 394,250 shares valued at about $48.5 million at quarter-end.
• Insider selling and analyst views were mixed: executive James F. Howe sold 415 shares under a pre-arranged plan, while Wall Street’s consensus rating on GPC remained Hold with an average price target of $143.71.
• Genuine Parts reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.77 and revenue of $6.26 billion, and it announced a quarterly dividend of $1.0625 per share payable July 2, implying a 4.2% yield.

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC - Free Report) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 394,250 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 10,000 shares during the quarter. Genuine Parts accounts for 1.7% of Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. owned 0.28% of Genuine Parts worth $48,477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. United Asset Strategies Inc. raised its position in shares of Genuine Parts by 1.6% during 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 during the period. J2 Capital Management Inc raised its position 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 worth $509,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Genuine Parts by 25.9% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 399 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its position 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 worth $2,052,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position 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 worth $1,743,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. 78.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider James F. Howe sold 415 shares of the firm'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 directly owned 25,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,669,700.37. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GPC. Evercore set a $160.00 target price on Genuine Parts in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research lowered Genuine Parts from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Genuine Parts from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial raised Genuine Parts from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target 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. One research 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Genuine Parts presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.71.

Genuine Parts Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE GPC opened at $100.71 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 234.21 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $107.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.13. Genuine Parts Company has a 12 month low of $96.08 and a 12 month high of $151.57. 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 data on Tuesday, April 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $6.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.75 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. Genuine Parts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Genuine Parts Company will post 7.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Genuine Parts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $4.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Genuine Parts's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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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