Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 1,053,001 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 25.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,231,940 shares of the auto parts company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,053,001 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 2.01% of LKQ worth $192,268,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 81.0% in the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its position in LKQ by 618.0% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in LKQ during the 3rd quarter worth about $81,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 107.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in LKQ by 25.9% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In other news, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,708 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. The trade was a 0.97 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total transaction of $416,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 359,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,975,186.92. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,864,350. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LKQ shares. StockNews.com cut shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Monday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.27 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $37.48. The stock had a trading volume of 492,464 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,259,457. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $46.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.71. The company's 50-day moving average price is $41.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.17. The company has a market capitalization of $9.69 billion, a PE ratio of 14.29 and a beta of 1.09.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 EPS 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's payout ratio is 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.