The business behind the dividend
| Measure | GPC | Median | Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | 1.5% | 11.7% | Net income ÷ shareholders’ equity |
| Return on capital employed | 0.6% | 10.1% | Operating income ÷ (equity + total debt) |
| Owner earnings | $134.13m | $632.00m | Net income + depreciation & amortisation − capital expenditure |
| Free cash flow | $420.92m | $746.10m | Operating cash flow − capital expenditure |
| Operating margin | 0.2% | 15.0% | Operating income ÷ revenue |
| Net margin | 0.3% | 10.2% | Net income ÷ revenue |
| Debt to equity | 0.87x | 0.79x | Total debt ÷ shareholders’ equity |
| Interest cover | 0.32x | 4.43x | Operating income ÷ interest expense |
| Current ratio | 1.08x | 1.25x | Current assets ÷ current liabilities |
| Long-term debt to working capital | 4.50x | 2.30x | Long-term debt ÷ (current assets − current liabilities) |
| Cash conversion | 13.51x | 1.78x | Operating cash flow ÷ net income |
Ten years of it
The same measures, for every year the filings support. One year is a fact; a row is a business.
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | 1.5% | 20.8% | 29.9% | 31.2% | 25.7% | -0.9% | 16.9% | 23.5% | 18.1% | 21.5% | 20.8% |
| Return on capital employed | 0.6% | 13.7% | 21.0% | 22.1% | 20.3% | 6.4% | 12.1% | 21.7% | 18.9% | 30.2% | 18.9% |
| Operating margin | 0.2% | 5.0% | 7.5% | 7.1% | 6.4% | 2.3% | 4.9% | 8.5% | 7.7% | 8.0% | 6.4% |
| Net margin | 0.3% | 3.8% | 5.7% | 5.4% | 4.8% | -0.2% | 3.5% | 4.8% | 3.8% | 4.5% | 3.8% |
| Debt to equity | 0.87x | 0.98x | 0.89x | 0.88x | 0.69x | 0.84x | 0.93x | 0.91x | 0.95x | 0.27x | 0.88x |
| Current ratio | 1.08x | 1.16x | 1.23x | 1.15x | 1.18x | 1.21x | 1.24x | 1.28x | 1.34x | 1.40x | 1.21x |
| Cash conversion | 13.51x | 1.38x | 1.09x | 1.24x | 1.40x | — | 1.44x | 1.41x | 1.32x | 1.38x | 1.38x |
How it compares in industrials
Among the 74 industrials companies here measured on free cash flow, Genuine Parts pays out less than 0 of them. The median for that group is 28.1%, against this company’s 134.0%.
Closest on free cash flow
- Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) 66.7%
- Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) 72.8%
- Watsco (WSO) 88.5%
- United Parcel Service (UPS) 113.3%
Same sector and same denominator, so the figures are comparable. All 81 in industrials →