Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Raises Stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 19.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 291,479 shares of the auto parts company's stock after purchasing an additional 47,470 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned 0.11% of LKQ worth $10,712,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its position in LKQ by 81.0% in the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in LKQ by 618.0% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in LKQ in the third quarter worth $81,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in LKQ by 107.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in LKQ by 25.9% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $105,000 after buying an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of LKQ stock traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $42.08. 2,175,821 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,281,070. 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. The stock has a market cap of $10.86 billion, a PE ratio of 16.06 and a beta of 0.98. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $40.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.22.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 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 firm had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 316,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,019,452.70. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude bought 2,708 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 280,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,385,941.23. This trade represents a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,873,750 over the last quarter. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LKQ shares. StockNews.com downgraded LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research 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 research report on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $52.60.

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.