PharVision Advisers LLC Buys New Holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

PharVision Advisers LLC bought a new position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 9,690 shares of the auto parts company's stock, valued at approximately $356,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,566,608 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $94,323,000 after purchasing an additional 160,298 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 131.4% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 853,428 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $31,363,000 after purchasing an additional 484,541 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its stake in LKQ by 716.6% in the 4th quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 207,511 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $7,626,000 after buying an additional 182,099 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $574,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in LKQ by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 43,773 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $1,609,000 after buying an additional 1,856 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LKQ shares. Wall Street Zen cut LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. One investment 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.60.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of LKQ traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $40.19. 1,812,391 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,280,357. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.47. The company has a market cap of $10.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. LKQ Co. has a 1 year low of $35.56 and a 1 year high of $46.64.

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, hitting the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $3.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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 will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's payout ratio is 44.78%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total value of $634,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 336,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,225,233.20. This represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,385,941.23. This represents a 0.97% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,457,150. 0.47% of the stock is 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.