Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) Shares Acquired by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) by 22.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,777 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $558,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GPC. State Street Corp raised its position in Genuine Parts by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,844,189 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,103,300,000 after purchasing an additional 401,180 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Genuine Parts by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,296,965 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $458,947,000 after acquiring an additional 32,858 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Genuine Parts by 1.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,743,970 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $383,511,000 after acquiring an additional 30,354 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Genuine Parts by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,840,807 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $257,124,000 after purchasing an additional 114,180 shares during the last quarter. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Genuine Parts Stock Performance

Shares of GPC opened at $118.12 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $16.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $119.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $129.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Genuine Parts has a 12-month low of $112.74 and a 12-month high of $164.45.

Genuine Parts Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Genuine Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Northcoast Research cut shares of Genuine Parts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wedbush decreased their price target on Genuine Parts from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Redburn Atlantic raised Genuine Parts to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Genuine Parts from $162.00 to $138.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Genuine Parts in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Wendy B. Needham sold 1,608 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Genuine Parts Profile

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.