Raymond James has raised its recommendation on Genuine Parts Company to Strong Buy from Market Perform and set a price objective of $145.00. With shares changing hands around $116.16, the firm’s target signals about 25% upside from current levels.
The upgrade rests on a detailed sum-of-the-parts valuation that the analyst, Sam Darkatsh, says reveals asymmetrical upside. In the analyst’s framework, Motion is valued assuming it receives a 2x discount to its direct peer AIT at approximately 17x forward. The North America Auto business is modeled at a 10x multiple, while International Auto is valued at an 8x multiple. Using those assumptions and accounting for an estimated $50 million of stranded costs, the sum-of-the-parts calculation points to a fair value near $145 per share.
Darkatsh contrasts the scenario implied by a 15x multiple on Motion with how the market currently appears to price the combined Auto segment. Under a 15x Motion assumption, the market would be assigning total Auto an implied multiple of roughly 4.5x - a divergence from the peer average of about 15x among O’Reilly, AutoZone, and Advance Auto Parts. The analyst also notes that European comparables MEKO and Inter Cars trade in a band of roughly 5x to 8x next-twelve-months EBITDA.
Timing factors into the upgrade. Raymond James highlights a defined timeline for value realization tied to the planned separation, which the analyst expects to complete by the first quarter of 2027. Investor days for both businesses are scheduled in the second half of 2026, offering milestones that could clarify the separated companies’ trajectories.
Macro and operational indicators cited in the analysis include January’s manufacturing industrial production, which was reported up 2.6% year-over-year, the highest reading since February 2022. The ISM PMI and MBI indices were also above 50 in January, points the analyst references in discussing the broader industrial backdrop.
Genuine Parts’ most recent reported results were mixed. For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, the company posted earnings per share of $1.55, below the consensus expectation of $1.81, representing a -14.36% surprise. Quarterly revenue totaled $6.00 billion, narrowly missing forecasts of $6.06 billion. Following those results, UBS lowered its price target on Genuine Parts to $135 from $150 and retained a Neutral rating, citing the weaker-than-expected performance and reduced guidance for 2026.
In a separate development, Brightpick announced a strategic partnership with NAPA, a Genuine Parts subsidiary, to deploy more than 100 robots at NAPA distribution centers. The deployment is intended to scale high-volume processing after a pilot carried out in 2025.
The Raymond James upgrade emphasizes valuation mechanics and a clear separation timeline as the basis for its more positive stance, while recent operating results and UBS’s more cautious outlook reflect the company’s near-term challenges. Investor milestones in 2026 and a planned separation in early 2027 are identified as key upcoming events that could influence market perceptions.