Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 86 Shares of Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC)

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 530 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 86 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $62,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Genuine Parts by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV now owns 55,716 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,505,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd raised its position in Genuine Parts by 157.6% during the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 19,397 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,265,000 after purchasing an additional 11,867 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc lifted its stake in Genuine Parts by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 4,630 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $541,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Genuine Parts by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 3,576 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 608 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Genuine Parts by 34.2% during the 4th quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 4,516 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $527,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Genuine Parts

In other news, Director Wendy B. Needham sold 1,608 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.78, for a total value of $194,214.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Genuine Parts Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPC opened at $122.95 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $118.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $126.72. The company has a market cap of $17.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 0.94. Genuine Parts has a 12 month low of $112.74 and a 12 month high of $164.45.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The specialty retailer reported $1.61 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.07. Genuine Parts had a return on equity of 25.28% and a net margin of 3.85%. The business had revenue of $5.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.26 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Genuine Parts will post 7.9 EPS for the current year.

Genuine Parts Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.03 dividend. This is a positive change from Genuine Parts’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.35%. Genuine Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on GPC. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Genuine Parts from $128.00 to $125.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Genuine Parts to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Genuine Parts in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $155.00 price target for the company. Northcoast Research downgraded Genuine Parts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on Genuine Parts from $129.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $137.63.

Genuine Parts Company 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.