Sowell Financial Services LLC Buys Shares of 8,577 LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ)

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

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,591,553 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $241,643,000 after acquiring an additional 48,813 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in LKQ by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,571,136 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $204,739,000 after purchasing an additional 1,171,481 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in LKQ by 25.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,231,940 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $192,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,053,001 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter worth $165,548,000. Finally, EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter worth about $160,339,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LKQ shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, LKQ presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $52.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 $10,385,941.23. This trade represents a 0.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.15, for a total transaction of $632,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 321,135 shares in the company, valued at $13,535,840.25. The trade was a 4.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $37.65. 2,163,413 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,295,962. LKQ Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $35.56 and a fifty-two week high of $46.64. The firm has a market cap of $9.72 billion, a PE ratio of 14.05 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last posted 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. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 4.97%. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that LKQ Corporation will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.78%.

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.