GENUINE PARTS CO vs WESCO International, Inc., two Distribution stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Genuine Parts and WESCO are both leveraged distributors, Genuine Parts at 1.03 turns of debt and WESCO at 1.13, but Genuine Parts earns the higher return on equity, 20.79% against 13.24%, on a similar thin margin. Genuine Parts is the income name at a 3.55% yield and trades cheaper, 17.2 times earnings against WESCO's 24.7. WESCO converts less free cash, 1.25% against 3.42%. The pair prices an auto-parts distributor against an electrical one, both carrying real debt: Genuine Parts earns more, yields more, and trades cheaper, making it the stronger of two similarly leveraged distributors, while WESCO's higher multiple rests on its electrical-distribution scale and acquisition growth.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | GPC | WCC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $116.01 | $347.28 |
| Market cap | $16.0B | $17.2B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -1.0% | +20.3% |
| P/E | 17.2 | 24.7 |
| P/B | 3.56 | 3.37 |
| P/S | 0.65 | 0.71 |
| EV/EBITDA | 37.3 | 15.4 |
| Revenue growth | +4.8% | +11.2% |
| Gross margin | 37.3% | — |
| Operating margin | — | 4.8% |
| Net margin | 3.8% | 2.8% |
| Return on equity | 20.8% | 13.2% |
| Return on assets | 4.5% | 4.0% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 9.3% |
| FCF yield | 3.4% | 1.3% |
| Dividend yield | 3.5% | — |
| Debt / equity | 1.03 | 1.13 |
| Current ratio | 1.09 | 2.12 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.54 | 3.19 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.