Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 46.9% to 6,371,799 shares as of March 31 (up from 4,336,786 on March 15), representing about 4.6% of shares short and a short-interest ratio of 2.5 days.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but tilted positive with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $145.57 (ratings: 2 Strong Buy, 3 Buy, 4 Hold, 1 Sell).
• GPC reported a quarterly EPS miss ($1.55 vs. $1.79 expected) on $6.01B revenue but set FY2026 guidance of $7.50–$8.00 EPS (analysts forecast $7.90); the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.0625 ($4.25 annual, 3.8% yield) despite an unusually high payout ratio of 923.91%.

Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 6,371,799 shares, a growth of 46.9% from the March 15th total of 4,336,786 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,546,807 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 4.6% of the company's shares are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Genuine Parts

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPC. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Genuine Parts by 3.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 17,717 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,111,000 after buying an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in Genuine Parts by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 11,746 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,399,000 after buying an additional 3,396 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Genuine Parts by 15.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,005 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Genuine Parts by 5.6% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 24,954 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,027,000 after buying an additional 1,323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXA S.A. raised its stake in Genuine Parts by 37.2% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 51,292 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $6,222,000 after buying an additional 13,898 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.83% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on GPC shares. Evercore set a $160.00 target price on Genuine Parts in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Truist Financial set a $127.00 target price on Genuine Parts and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Genuine Parts from $150.00 to $135.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Genuine Parts from a "market perform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Genuine Parts in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Genuine Parts currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $145.57.

Genuine Parts Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Genuine Parts stock traded up $0.78 on Thursday, hitting $111.22. 356,115 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,704,704. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $115.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $125.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Genuine Parts has a 52 week low of $96.08 and a 52 week high of $151.57. The company has a market cap of $15.47 billion, a PE ratio of 241.61 and a beta of 0.76.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The specialty retailer reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.79 by ($0.24). Genuine Parts had a net margin of 0.27% and a return on equity of 22.28%. The company had revenue of $6.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Genuine Parts has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.000 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Genuine Parts will post 7.9 EPS for the current year.

Genuine Parts Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $1.0625 per share. This is a boost from Genuine Parts's previous quarterly dividend of $1.03. This represents a $4.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. Genuine Parts's payout ratio is presently 923.91%.

Genuine Parts Company 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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