LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Acquired by Capital World Investors

Capital World Investors increased its position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 28.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,057,102 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 234,045 shares during the period. Capital World Investors owned about 0.41% of LKQ worth $38,848,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $91,678,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in LKQ by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 42,563 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $1,564,000 after purchasing an additional 22,575 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in LKQ by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 8,406,444 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $309,609,000 after purchasing an additional 833,519 shares during the period. Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $559,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in LKQ by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 126,729 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $4,657,000 after purchasing an additional 11,975 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LKQ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.60.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total value of $634,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 336,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,225,233.20. This trade represents a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,385,941.23. This represents a 0.97 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,864,350. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

LKQ Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $37.41. 4,324,347 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,264,039. The business's 50-day moving average price is $41.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.18. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $35.56 and a twelve month high of $46.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $9.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.28 and a beta of 1.09.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The business had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.58 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. LKQ's payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

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.