Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Raises Stock Holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 67.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,715 shares of the auto parts company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,207 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in LKQ were worth $1,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 65,680 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $2,414,000 after purchasing an additional 1,786 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in LKQ by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 68,790 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $2,528,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. Natixis boosted its stake in LKQ by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Natixis now owns 22,852 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $840,000 after acquiring an additional 2,860 shares during the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The grew its position in shares of LKQ by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 11,931 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the period. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 9,973 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ traded up $0.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $37.70. 621,980 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,588,173. 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 company has a market cap of $9.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.38 and a beta of 1.09. LKQ Co. has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $46.64. The company's 50-day moving average is $41.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.16.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. LKQ's revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's payout ratio is 44.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on LKQ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com cut LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $52.60.

Insider Activity

In other LKQ news, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were purchased 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 of the company's stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. The trade was a 0.97 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total transaction of $634,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 336,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,225,233.20. The trade was a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,864,350. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.