8,577 Shares in LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Acquired by Sowell Financial Services LLC

Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,577 shares of the auto parts company's stock, valued at approximately $365,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LKQ. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at $165,548,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. purchased a new stake in LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at $160,339,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at $119,395,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at $91,678,000. Finally, Eminence Capital LP purchased a new stake in LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at $68,944,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LKQ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Performance

LKQ stock opened at $37.13 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.98. LKQ Corporation has a 1 year low of $35.56 and a 1 year high of $46.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $39.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.52.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.58 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 4.97%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that LKQ Corporation will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Justin L. Jude bought 2,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were bought 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 in the company, valued at $10,385,941.23. This trade 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 accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.15, for a total value of $632,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 321,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,535,840.25. This represents a 4.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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