Genuine makes acquisitions work

Article Excerpt

GENUINE PARTS CO. $87 (New York symbol GPC; Income Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 146.6 million; Market cap: $12.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 3.1%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.genpt.com) sells replacement auto parts through 1,100 outlets under the NAPA banner; and the company’s distribution business serves 4,900 independent stores in North America, Australia and New Zealand. Genuine also distributes industrial parts, office products and electrical equipment. The company recently announced two acquisitions. The first is Apache Hose & Belting Company. Based in Iowa, that firm provides industrial users with belts, hoses, and cut and molded products. Parts distributor Monroe Motor Products of Rochester, New York, is the company’s second recent purchase. Genuine Parts has yet to reveal how much it has agreed to pay for either business. Together, they should add a total of $125 million to its annual sales of $15.4 billion. Growth by acquisition adds risk. However, Genuine has a history of successfully integrating new operations and improving their…