4,362,979 Shares in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Bought by EdgePoint Investment Group Inc.

EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. bought a new stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,362,979 shares of the auto parts company's stock, valued at approximately $160,339,000. LKQ makes up approximately 1.3% of EdgePoint Investment Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. owned about 1.68% of LKQ as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 618.0% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of LKQ in the third quarter worth $81,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 107.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In related news, CEO Justin L. Jude bought 2,708 shares of the business'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 acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. This represents a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total value of $634,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 336,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,225,233.20. The trade was a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,873,750. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

LKQ Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of LKQ stock traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $40.10. 1,569,115 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,277,175. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $35.56 and a twelve month high of $46.64. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $40.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.31 and a beta of 0.98.

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

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is 44.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on LKQ shares. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com downgraded LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One 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.com, LKQ has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $52.60.

LKQ Company 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.