LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Position Boosted by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 90.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 640,066 shares of the auto parts company's stock after purchasing an additional 304,142 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned 0.25% of LKQ worth $23,522,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter worth about $165,548,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. bought a new position in LKQ in the 4th quarter worth about $160,339,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at about $119,395,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in LKQ in the 4th quarter worth approximately $91,678,000. Finally, Eminence Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $68,944,000. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on LKQ shares. StockNews.com raised LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $52.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 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, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. The trade was a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.02, for a total value of $190,100.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 316,135 shares in the company, valued at $12,019,452.70. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,873,750. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

LKQ Trading Down 0.1%

LKQ stock traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $41.68. 84,572 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,540,918. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.76 billion, a PE ratio of 15.91 and a beta of 0.98. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion during 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. LKQ's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

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.