Overview
Evercore ISI has lifted its price target for Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC) to $175.00 from $155.00 while keeping an Outperform rating on the stock as the company prepares to report fourth-quarter results. GPC was trading at $146.68 at the time of the update and is near its 52-week high of $149.28. Analyst price targets across the market span a range from $130 to $190, and InvestingPro data indicates the shares are trading close to Fair Value.
Quarterly expectations
The distributor of automotive and industrial parts is scheduled to release quarterly results on Tuesday before the market opens. Evercore expects the quarter to show solid underlying performance, modeling roughly 2.5% organic growth and operating income that comes in above consensus estimates. As a large player in the Distributors industry, Genuine Parts has sustained profitability, reporting a 37% gross profit margin over the last twelve months.
Forecasts and guidance
Evercore projects calendar-year 2025 earnings per share of about $7.60 for Genuine Parts, while leaving its calendar 2026 EPS estimate at $8.50. The firm also anticipates the company will provide initial 2026 guidance with an unusually wide range - around $0.40 - centered near $8.30. InvestingPro's current EPS forecast for fiscal 2025 stands at $7.65.
Market performance and outlook drivers
Year-to-date, Genuine Parts stock has climbed roughly 18%, outpacing the S&P 500's 1% gain over the same period. Evercore notes that this relative strength could limit near-term upside despite what it describes as favorable fundamentals, including inflation pass-through within the automotive segment and signs of returning industrial demand.
Corporate governance and credit action
The company announced a board leadership transition tied to the 2026 annual meeting: Non-Executive Chairman Paul D. Donahue will retire from the board, and current President and Chief Executive Officer Will Stengel will assume the combined role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Separately, Moody's Ratings revised the company's outlook to negative from stable, citing weaker-than-expected operating performance and economic pressures affecting NAPA affiliates.
Dividends and shareholder return
Genuine Parts declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.03 per share, payable on January 5, 2026, to shareholders of record on December 5, 2025. The company has a long track record of dividend increases, having raised its payout for 38 consecutive years.
Other analyst moves
Goldman Sachs upgraded Genuine Parts from Sell to Neutral and set a $142.00 price target, citing improving trends in both the Automotive and Industrial segments and suggesting a more balanced risk-reward profile.
What this means
The push higher in Evercore's target price reflects its view that cyclical and structural headwinds peaked in 2025 and that the company is making positive progress on comparable sales while retaining optionality for strategic actions later in 2026. At the same time, the negative credit outlook from Moody's and the board change add elements of uncertainty even as the firm continues to deliver steady margins and a long history of dividend increases.
Key considerations for investors
- Upcoming earnings will be a near-term catalyst, with Evercore anticipating outperformance versus consensus on operating income.
- Analyst coverage is mixed but tilted constructive - Evercore raised its target while Goldman Sachs moved the stock to Neutral with a lower price objective.
- Credit and governance developments - Moody's outlook change and the chairman succession - are relevant to stakeholders assessing risk and management continuity.