Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) Shares Purchased by Kessler Investment Group LLC

Kessler Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,288 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Kessler Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $384,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPC. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Genuine Parts by 284.4% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,999 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 1,479 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of Genuine Parts by 5.2% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 3,554 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Genuine Parts by 2.9% in the third quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 4,927 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $688,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Genuine Parts in the third quarter worth $262,000. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Genuine Parts by 1.0% in the third quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 32,092 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,483,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.83% of the company’s stock.

Genuine Parts Price Performance

Shares of GPC opened at $124.87 on Friday. Genuine Parts has a 1-year low of $112.74 and a 1-year high of $164.45. The stock has a market cap of $17.36 billion, a PE ratio of 16.07 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $118.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.88.

Genuine Parts Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. Genuine Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity at Genuine Parts

In related news, Director Wendy B. Needham sold 1,608 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 $1,371,698.46. The trade was a 12.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.37% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.