Cetera Investment Advisers Acquires 8,762 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 21.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,938 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 8,762 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in LKQ were worth $1,798,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in LKQ in the 4th quarter worth about $91,678,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 112.9% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 42,563 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $1,564,000 after purchasing an additional 22,575 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 53.2% during the 4th quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 19,298 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $709,000 after purchasing an additional 6,698 shares during the period. Islay Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at about $559,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 126,729 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $4,657,000 after purchasing an additional 11,975 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $42.32 on Tuesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $40.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.40. The company has a market capitalization of $10.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.15 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. LKQ Co. has a 52 week low of $35.56 and a 52 week high of $46.64.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.79. The company 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 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. LKQ's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's payout ratio is 44.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LKQ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.60.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 now owns 316,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,019,452.70. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares in the company, valued at $10,385,941.23. The trade was a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,873,750. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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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