River Road Asset Management LLC Has $21.63 Million Stock Holdings in Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC)

River Road Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) by 417.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 156,148 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 125,980 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $21,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Genuine Parts during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Genuine Parts during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Genuine Parts by 122.2% in the second quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new stake in Genuine Parts in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Genuine Parts during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.83% of the company’s stock.

Genuine Parts Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPC opened at $148.50 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $20.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $149.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Genuine Parts has a twelve month low of $126.35 and a twelve month high of $174.91.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The specialty retailer reported $2.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $5.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.84 billion. Genuine Parts had a return on equity of 31.64% and a net margin of 5.70%. Genuine Parts’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.14 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Genuine Parts will post 9.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Genuine Parts Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. This is a positive change from Genuine Parts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Genuine Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Genuine Parts from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Genuine Parts in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $167.00 price objective on shares of Genuine Parts in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Genuine Parts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $168.33.

Insider Transactions at Genuine Parts

In related news, Director Wendy B. Needham sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.92, for a total value of $503,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,397 shares in the company, valued at $2,230,383.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

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.