Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Has $5.45 Million Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 29.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 148,186 shares of the auto parts company's stock after acquiring an additional 34,017 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned 0.06% of LKQ worth $5,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of LKQ by 81.0% during the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 618.0% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 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 acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in LKQ by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the period. Finally, Spire Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 92.5% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 2,890 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ traded down $0.06 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $42.02. The stock had a trading volume of 2,529,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,290,881. LKQ Co. has a 1-year low of $35.56 and a 1-year high of $46.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $40.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.04 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 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 (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.79. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. The company's revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's payout ratio is 44.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LKQ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $52.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $190,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 316,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,019,452.70. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,873,750 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

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.