Genuine gains from narrower focus

Article Excerpt

GENUINE PARTS CO. $90 is a buy. The company (New York symbol GPC; Income-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares o/s: 145.9 million; Market cap: $13.1 billion; Dividend yield: 3.5%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.genpt.com) raised your quarterly dividend by 3.6% with the April 2020 payment. The new annual rate of $3.16 yields a solid 3.5%. In the quarter ended September 30, 2020, Genuine’s sales fell 3.4%, to $4.37 billion from $4.53 billion a year earlier. If you disregard the recent sale of its business products division, sales improved 0.8%. Stronger demand for replacement automotive parts (68% of total sales) offset weaker sales of industrial equipment such as bearings, pumps and hoses (32%). Thanks to a cost-control plan, earnings before unusual items gained 17.3%, to $1.63 a share from $1.39. Genuine Parts is a buy. buy…