Genuine Parts Company, a leading global service provider of automotive and industrial replacement parts and value-added solutions, announced its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026.

Automotive results reported were solid, with a particularly tailwind noted for exchange in GPC’s international automotive business,lifting results from that segment more than 10%.

“The GPC team delivered first quarter results ahead of expectations, driven by solid sales growth and operating discipline across our business segments,” said Will Stengel, Chair-Elect and Chief Executive Officer.

“Our performance reflects the strength and resilience of our businesses despite a dynamic global environment. We are simultaneously making strong progress on our announced separation which remains on track for completion in the first quarter of 2027.”

First Quarter 2026 Results

Sales were $6.3 billion, a 6.8% increase compared to $5.9 billion in the same period of the prior year. The improvement is attributable to a 2.4% increase in comparable sales, a 1.3% benefit from acquisitions and a net 3.1% favorable impact of foreign currency and other.

Net income was $189 million, or $1.37 per diluted earnings per share. This compares to net income of $194 million, or $1.40 per diluted share in the prior year period.

All figures in USD.

Adjusted net income was $245 million, or $1.77 per diluted earnings per share. Adjusted net income excludes a net expense of $56 million after tax adjustments, or $0.40 per diluted share, which relates to costs associated with the company’s global restructuring initiative and the planned separation of the company’s Global Automotive and Global Industrial businesses.

This compares to adjusted net income of $243 million, or $1.75 per diluted share in the prior year period. Refer to the reconciliation of GAAP net income to adjusted net income and GAAP diluted net income per common share to adjusted diluted net income per common share for more information.

First Quarter 2026 Segment Highlights

North America Automotive Parts Group (“North America Automotive”)

North America Automotive sales were $2.4 billion, up 4.3% from the same period in 2025. The improvement is attributable to a 2.2% increase in comparable sales, a 1.6% benefit from acquisitions and a net 0.5% favorable impact of foreign currency and other. Segment EBITDA of $156 million increased 6.3%, with segment EBITDA margin of 6.6%, up 10 basis points from the same period of the prior year.

International Automotive Parts Group (“International Automotive”)

International Automotive sales were $1.6 billion, up 13.2% from the same period in 2025. The improvement is attributable to a 0.3% increase in comparable sales, a 2.3% benefit from acquisitions and a 10.6% favorable impact of foreign currency. Segment EBITDA of $145 million increased 4.6%, with segment EBITDA margin of 9.1%, down 80 basis points from the same period of the prior year.

Industrial Parts Group (“Industrial”)

Industrial sales were $2.3 billion, up 5.2% from the same period in 2025. The improvement is attributable to a 3.9% increase in comparable sales, a 0.3% benefit from acquisitions and a 1.0% favorable impact of foreign currency. Segment EBITDA of $314 million increased 12.7%, with segment EBITDA margin of 13.6%, up 90 basis points from the same period of the prior year.

Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Capital Allocation

The company generated cash flow from operations of $64 million for the first three months of 2026. Net cash used in investing activities was $93 million, including $98 million for capital expenditures and $14 million for acquisitions. Net cash provided by financing activities was $57 million, including net proceeds of debt (including net commercial paper) of $218 million, partially offset by $142 million for quarterly dividends paid to shareholders. Free cash flow was a deficit of $34 million for the first three months of 2026 due to continued investments in the business outweighing cash from operations which is seasonally lower in the first quarter. Refer to the reconciliation of GAAP net cash provided by operating activities to free cash flow for more information.

As of March 31, 2026, total liquidity was $1.3 billion, consisting of $500 million in cash and $838 million of available capacity under the company’s $2.0 billion Revolving Credit Agreement. This reflects $554 million drawn on the revolver and $607 million of outstanding commercial paper.

2026 Outlook

The company is reaffirming full-year 2026 guidance previously provided in its earnings release on February 17, 2026. The company considered its recent business trends and financial results, current growth plans, strategic initiatives, global economic outlook, geopolitical conflicts and the potential impact on results in updating its guidance, which is outlined in the table below.

		For the Year Ending December 31, 2026
Total sales growth		3% to 5.5%
North America Automotive sales growth		3% to 5%
International Automotive sales growth		3% to 6%
Industrial sales growth		3% to 6%
Diluted earnings per share		$6.10 to $6.60
Adjusted diluted earnings per share		$7.50 to $8.00
Effective tax rate		Approx. 24%
Net cash provided by operating activities		$1.0 billion to $1.2 billion
Free cash flow		$550 million to $700 million

Conference Call

Genuine Parts Company held a conference call today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results of the quarter. A supplemental earnings deck was also available for reference. Interested parties may listen to the call and view the supplemental earnings deck on the company’s investor relations website. A replay of the call will be available on the company’s website or toll-free at 888-660-6345, conference ID 82208#, two hours after the completion of the call.