LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Acquired by D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc.

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 336.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,432,724 shares of the auto parts company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,104,431 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.55% of LKQ worth $52,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of LKQ. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in LKQ during the 4th quarter worth approximately $165,548,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at $119,395,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at $91,678,000. Eminence Capital LP purchased a new position in LKQ in the 4th quarter worth $68,944,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in LKQ by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,571,136 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $204,739,000 after acquiring an additional 1,171,481 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ:LKQ traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $42.08. 2,175,821 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,286,028. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $35.56 and a twelve month high of $46.64. The firm has a market cap of $10.86 billion, a PE ratio of 16.06 and a beta of 0.98. The stock's 50-day moving average is $40.94 and its 200-day moving average is $39.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. The business had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.58 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The business's revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LKQ. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total transaction of $634,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 336,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,225,233.20. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $36.99 per share, for a total transaction of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 280,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,385,941.23. The trade was a 0.97% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,873,750. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

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.