Guardian Wealth Management Inc. Trims Stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Guardian Wealth Management Inc. lessened its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 54.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,085 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 42,197 shares during the quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in LKQ were worth $1,289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter worth about $165,548,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter worth approximately $119,395,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at $91,678,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of LKQ by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,571,136 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $204,739,000 after buying an additional 1,171,481 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at $40,363,000. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $37.53. 852,507 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,260,765. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.67. 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 $9.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.32 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.17.

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 return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.82 earnings per share. LKQ's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total value of $416,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 359,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,975,186.92. This trade represents a 2.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude bought 2,708 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $36.99 per share, for a total transaction of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,864,350. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LKQ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. 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, StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research 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.com, LKQ currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.