Genuine benefits from slow car production

Article Excerpt

Shortages of computer chips and other parts continue to hinder the production of cars. That’s goods news for Genuine Parts, as consumers will need to buy more replacement parts for their existing vehicles. Still, even when the supply of new cars improves, the company will continue to benefit from a recent, key acquisition. GENUINE PARTS CO. $146 is a buy. The company (New York symbol GPC; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 141.3 million; Market cap: $20.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.1; Dividend yield: 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.genpt.com) is a leading seller of replacement auto parts. It has over 2,700 company-owned stores (under the famous NAPA banner) and 6,700 independent outlets in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. This business accounts for 66% of total sales. The remaining 34% comes from distributing industrial parts such as bearings, seals, pumps and hoses. Genuine’s revenue rose 7.4%, from $16.31 billion in 2017 to $17.52 billion in 2019. Revenue fell 5.6% to $16.54 billion in…