River Road Asset Management LLC Has $224.15 Million Stock Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

River Road Asset Management LLC increased its position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,690,401 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 114,207 shares during the period. LKQ accounts for approximately 3.1% of River Road Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. River Road Asset Management LLC owned about 1.75% of LKQ worth $224,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Clear Street Markets LLC boosted its stake in LKQ by 94.1% during the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 497 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in LKQ by 81.1% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 623 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in LKQ by 228.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 647 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $47.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,111,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,532,045. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.69 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $51.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.36. LKQ Co. has a 12-month low of $41.49 and a 12-month high of $59.38.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The auto parts company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.52 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 6.75% and a return on equity of 17.24%. LKQ's revenue was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 14th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LKQ news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total transaction of $10,394,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,087,548.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.45% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LKQ shares. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus restated a "buy" rating and issued a $66.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com downgraded LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on LKQ from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, LKQ has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $63.50.

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.