Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) Shares Bought by Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group boosted its stake in shares of Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) by 8.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,545 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 799 shares during the quarter. Genuine Parts comprises 0.7% of Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $1,231,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in Genuine Parts by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,844,189 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,103,300,000 after acquiring an additional 401,180 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Genuine Parts by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,296,965 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $458,947,000 after acquiring an additional 32,858 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Genuine Parts by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,889,930 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $337,428,000 after acquiring an additional 145,960 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in Genuine Parts by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,057,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $287,405,000 after acquiring an additional 25,015 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Genuine Parts by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,840,807 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $257,124,000 after acquiring an additional 114,180 shares during the period. 78.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Genuine Parts Stock Performance

NYSE GPC opened at $121.33 on Thursday. Genuine Parts has a 1-year low of $112.74 and a 1-year high of $164.45. The company has a market capitalization of $16.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $120.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $125.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty retailer reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.07. Genuine Parts had a return on equity of 25.28% and a net margin of 3.85%. The firm had revenue of $5.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.26 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Genuine Parts will post 7.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Genuine Parts Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This is an increase from Genuine Parts’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. Genuine Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital initiated coverage on Genuine Parts in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Northcoast Research downgraded Genuine Parts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Genuine Parts from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on Genuine Parts from $128.00 to $125.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $137.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Genuine Parts news, Director Wendy B. Needham sold 1,608 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.78, for a total transaction of $194,214.24. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.