Aging cars are good news for Genuine

Article Excerpt

Shares of Genuine Parts have gained 20% in the past year. The rise is partly because higher interest rates on new loans have prompted consumers to hang on to their older cars; that in turn has lifted Genuine’s sales of replacement parts. What’s more, an acquisition is helping the company tap increasing automaker demand for robotic equipment. GENUINE PARTS CO. $158 is a buy. The parts retailer (New York symbol GPC; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 140.5 million; Market cap: $22.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 2.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.genpt.com) has 9,620 company-owned and independent auto parts stores in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Most of them operate under the famous NAPA banner. This business accounts for about 60% of Genuine’s total sales. The remaining 40% comes from distributing industrial parts such as bearings, seals, pumps and hoses. Genuine Parts has a long history of using acquisitions to fuel its growth. In 2022, it spent $1.6 billion buying…