EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. Takes Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. bought a new position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund 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 portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. owned 1.68% of LKQ at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at about $91,678,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 42,563 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $1,564,000 after buying an additional 22,575 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 53.2% during the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 19,298 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $709,000 after buying an additional 6,698 shares during the last quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $559,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in LKQ by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 126,729 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $4,657,000 after acquiring an additional 11,975 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now owns 336,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,225,233.20. This represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $36.99 per share, for a total transaction of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,873,750 over the last quarter. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of LKQ stock traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $42.07. 1,130,349 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,281,791. LKQ Co. has a one year low of $35.56 and a one year high of $46.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.06 and a beta of 0.98. 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 50 day moving average price of $40.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.24.

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

LKQ Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "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.