Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stock Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,017 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 1,855 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $718,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in LKQ by 228.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 647 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in LKQ during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Headinvest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the third quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LKQ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of LKQ from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, April 19th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on LKQ from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total value of $10,394,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,087,548.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ stock opened at $42.92 on Friday. LKQ Co. has a 1 year low of $41.30 and a 1 year high of $59.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.70. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.23. The company has a market capitalization of $11.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 1.28.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The auto parts company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.76 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 38.96%.

LKQ Profile

LKQ Corporation engages in the distribution of replacement parts, components, and systems used in the repair and maintenance of vehicles and specialty vehicle aftermarket products and accessories. It operates through four segments: Wholesale-North America, Europe, Specialty, and Self Service. The company distributes bumper covers, automotive body panels, and lights, as well as mechanical automotive parts and accessories; salvage products, including mechanical and collision parts comprising engines; transmissions; door assemblies; sheet metal products, such as trunk lids, fenders, and hoods; lights and bumper assemblies; scrap metal and other materials to metals recyclers; and brake pads, discs and sensors, clutches, steering and suspension products, filters, and oil and automotive fluids, as well as electrical products, including spark plugs and batteries.