Avior Wealth Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Avior Wealth Management LLC cut its position in LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 96.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 781 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 20,850 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC's holdings in LKQ were worth $33,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in LKQ by 104.8% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 977 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 299.6% in the first 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 during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of LKQ by 107.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in LKQ by 56.2% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 709 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in LKQ by 71.3% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,116 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,297 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. 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 cut shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.60.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.05 during trading on Friday, hitting $37.12. 3,089,402 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,309,441. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. LKQ Corporation has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $46.64. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.47. The company has a market capitalization of $9.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.98.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.66% and a net margin of 4.97%. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that LKQ Corporation will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. LKQ's payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,385,941.23. This trade represents a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.02, for a total value of $190,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 316,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,019,452.70. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

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.