Lowering costs supports dividend

Article Excerpt

GENUINE PARTS CO. $139 is a buy. The company (New York symbol GPC; Income-Growth Payer Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 139.3 million; Market cap: $19.4 billion; Dividend yield: 2.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Above Average; www.genpt.com) is a leading seller of replacement auto parts. It also distributes industrial parts like bearings, pumps and hoses. With the April 2024 payment, the company raised your quarterly dividend by 5.3% to $1.00 a share from $0.95. The annual rate of $4.00 yields 2.9%. Investors have now enjoyed an annual dividend increase for a whopping 68 consecutive years. Genuine is now cutting jobs and consolidating various facilities as part of a global restructuring. The plan should lower its costs by $40 million in 2024. In future years, annual savings should rise to between $45 million and $90 million. Genuine Parts is a buy. buy…