16,032 Shares in Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) Acquired by Avanza Fonder AB

Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 16,032 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,872,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPC. Tompkins Financial Corp grew its stake in shares of Genuine Parts by 271.7% in the fourth quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 1,368 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $160,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Stolper Co acquired a new position in Genuine Parts in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,194,000. Sawyer & Company Inc increased its stake in Genuine Parts by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc now owns 10,650 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,243,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares during the period. Burney Co. lifted its position in shares of Genuine Parts by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. Burney Co. now owns 4,928 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Genuine Parts by 1,368.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 67,955 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,934,000 after purchasing an additional 63,328 shares during the period. 78.83% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Genuine Parts

In related news, Director Wendy B. Needham sold 1,608 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.78, for a total transaction of $194,214.24. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,357 shares in the company, valued at $1,371,698.46. This represents a 12.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Genuine Parts Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:GPC opened at $118.43 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $120.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.39. Genuine Parts has a twelve month low of $112.74 and a twelve month high of $164.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $16.47 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24 and a beta of 0.95.

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

Genuine Parts Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Genuine Parts’s payout ratio is currently 51.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Genuine Parts from $162.00 to $138.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Northcoast Research cut Genuine Parts from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Wedbush lowered their target price on Genuine Parts from $145.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Loop Capital initiated coverage on Genuine Parts in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $155.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Genuine Parts to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Genuine Parts presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.50.

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.