Sentry Investment Management LLC Has $103,000 Position in Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 80 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Genuine Parts were worth $103,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in Genuine Parts in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Genuine Parts in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its position in Genuine Parts by 122.2% in the second quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 160 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new position in Genuine Parts during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Genuine Parts during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 78.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Genuine Parts Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of GPC stock opened at $144.07 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $149.56 and its 200-day moving average is $142.09. The stock has a market cap of $20.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44 and a beta of 0.94. Genuine Parts has a 52-week low of $126.35 and a 52-week high of $174.91.

Genuine Parts (NYSE:GPC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The specialty retailer reported $2.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $5.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. Genuine Parts had a return on equity of 31.64% and a net margin of 5.70%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.05 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Genuine Parts will post 9.76 EPS for the current year.

Genuine Parts Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. This is a positive change from Genuine Parts’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Genuine Parts’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Genuine Parts news, Director Wendy B. Needham sold 3,250 shares of the business’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,230,383.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Genuine Parts in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Genuine Parts from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $167.00 price target on shares of Genuine Parts in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Genuine Parts from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.33.

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.