FORA Capital LLC Reduces Holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

FORA Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 15.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,848 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 9,201 shares during the quarter. FORA Capital LLC's holdings in LKQ were worth $1,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in LKQ during the third quarter worth about $81,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in LKQ by 9.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 519,232 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $20,401,000 after purchasing an additional 43,541 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in LKQ by 40.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,418,725 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $56,631,000 after purchasing an additional 407,593 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 56,365 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $2,071,000 after acquiring an additional 2,737 shares during the period. Finally, City Center Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. City Center Advisors LLC now owns 7,500 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LKQ Stock Up 0.2%

LKQ traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $40.10. 1,569,115 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,277,175. LKQ Co. has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $46.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $40.95 and a 200 day moving average of $39.19. The firm has a market cap of $10.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.31 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 (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,708 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $36.99 per share, for a total transaction of $100,168.92. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,385,941.23. The trade was a 0.97% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total transaction of $416,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 359,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,975,186.92. This trade represents a 2.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,873,750 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LKQ shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.