LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 7,280.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 287,911 shares of the auto parts company's stock after purchasing an additional 284,010 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.11% of LKQ worth $12,248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in LKQ by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 34,192 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its holdings in LKQ by 81.0% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in LKQ by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 68,790 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $2,528,000 after buying an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in LKQ by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,436 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wahed Invest LLC increased its stake in LKQ by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 6,779 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of LKQ stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $39.09. The company had a trading volume of 1,354,814 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,300,645. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $40.49 and a 200-day moving average of $39.59. The company has a market capitalization of $10.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.92 and a beta of 0.98. LKQ Co. has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $46.64.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The business had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.78%.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.15, for a total value of $632,250.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $36.99 per share, for a total transaction of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. This represents a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.60.

About LKQ

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.