Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) Shares Bought by ST Germain D J Co. Inc.

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) by 320.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 525 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.’s holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $61,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in Genuine Parts by 1.9% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 4,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $625,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Genuine Parts by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,464 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Genuine Parts by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC now owns 7,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,104,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in Genuine Parts by 5.9% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 1,711 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its position in Genuine Parts by 2.8% during the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,788 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $533,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.83% of the company’s stock.

Genuine Parts Price Performance

Genuine Parts stock opened at $115.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $16.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.93 and a beta of 0.95. Genuine Parts has a 1 year low of $112.74 and a 1 year high of $164.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $120.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $131.05.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by ($0.54). Genuine Parts had a return on equity of 27.23% and a net margin of 4.67%. The firm had revenue of $6 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.49 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Genuine Parts will post 8.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Genuine Parts Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Genuine Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.48%.

Insider Activity at Genuine Parts

In other news, Director Wendy B. Needham sold 1,608 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.78, for a total value of $194,214.24. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,698.46. This trade represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GPC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Genuine Parts from $162.00 to $138.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com cut Genuine Parts from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Genuine Parts to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Wedbush reduced their target price on shares of Genuine Parts from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Genuine Parts from $145.00 to $125.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.57.

About Genuine Parts

Genuine Parts Company distributes automotive replacement parts, and industrial parts and materials. It operates in two segments: Automotive Parts Group and Industrial Parts Group segments. The company distributes automotive replacement parts for hybrid and electric vehicles, trucks, SUVs, buses, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, farm vehicles, small engines, farm equipment, marine equipment, and heavy duty equipment; and equipment and parts used by repair shops, service stations, fleet operators, automobile and truck dealers, leasing companies, bus and truck lines, mass merchandisers, farms, and individuals.