Cerity Partners LLC Sells 184,900 Shares of LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Cerity Partners LLC lowered its holdings in shares of LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 86.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,233 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 184,900 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in LKQ were worth $1,201,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in LKQ by 104.8% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 977 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 1st quarter worth $42,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 299.6% during the 1st quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,135 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,847 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 56.2% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 709 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $32.17. 5,796,190 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,624,824. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 1.81. LKQ Corporation has a 52-week low of $30.06 and a 52-week high of $44.82. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $38.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.56. The company has a market capitalization of $8.30 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.95.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.93 by ($0.06). LKQ had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 5.04%. The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.98 earnings per share. LKQ's revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that LKQ Corporation will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.73%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $51.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.02, for a total transaction of $190,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 316,135 shares in the company, valued at $12,019,452.70. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.