Ethic Inc. Grows Stake in LKQ Corporation $LKQ

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its stake in LKQ Corporation by 81.0%, acquiring an additional 12,105 shares, bringing its total holdings to 27,049 shares valued at approximately $1.16 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Caitong International Asset Management and Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, have recently made new investments in LKQ, with institutional ownership at 95.63%.
• LKQ reported a $0.87 EPS for the last quarter, which was below analyst expectations of $0.93, with plans for a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, translating to an annual yield of 3.8%.

Ethic Inc. grew its position in LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 81.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 27,049 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 12,105 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in LKQ were worth $1,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in LKQ in the 1st quarter worth approximately $321,000. Goodman Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 2.8% during the first quarter. Goodman Financial Corp now owns 317,305 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $13,498,000 after purchasing an additional 8,502 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the first quarter valued at $1,618,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 20.0% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 65,319 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $2,779,000 after buying an additional 10,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amalgamated Bank increased its holdings in LKQ by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 50,851 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $2,163,000 after buying an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of LKQ stock traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $31.70. 2,696,069 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,263,843. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $34.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.50. The company has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 0.69. LKQ Corporation has a 12-month low of $28.92 and a 12-month high of $44.82.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $3.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. LKQ's revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. LKQ has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.30 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LKQ Corporation will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. LKQ's payout ratio is 43.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LKQ. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $51.40.

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.