Numerai GP LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Numerai GP LLC increased its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 371.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,757 shares of the auto parts company's stock after purchasing an additional 54,182 shares during the quarter. LKQ accounts for 0.7% of Numerai GP LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Numerai GP LLC's holdings in LKQ were worth $2,527,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 44,169 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of LKQ by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 34,192 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $1,257,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the period. 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of LKQ by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 68,790 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $2,528,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of LKQ by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,436 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.02, for a total value of $190,100.00. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $36.99 per share, for a total transaction of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,385,941.23. The trade was a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,873,750. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ:LKQ traded down $0.18 on Monday, reaching $42.38. 292,267 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,269,428. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.36. The firm has a market cap of $10.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.17 and a beta of 0.98. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $46.64.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, hitting 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on LKQ. StockNews.com raised shares of LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price 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.