Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Makes New Investment in LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 7,554 shares of the auto parts company's stock, valued at approximately $321,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 8.3% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 120,761 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $5,137,000 after buying an additional 9,301 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in LKQ in the 1st quarter worth about $677,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in LKQ by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,265 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in LKQ in the 1st quarter worth about $226,000. Finally, Albert D Mason Inc. lifted its holdings in LKQ by 7.1% during the first quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 45,156 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $1,921,000 after purchasing an additional 3,005 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $38.25. 1,745,635 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,304,464. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 0.95. LKQ Corporation has a 52-week low of $35.56 and a 52-week 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 for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.79. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.58 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.97% and a return on equity of 14.66%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that LKQ Corporation will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Insider Activity

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $12,019,452.70. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude bought 2,708 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $36.99 per share, for a total transaction of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. This trade represents a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on LKQ shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, LKQ has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.60.

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.