Erste Asset Management GmbH Purchases New Shares in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,145,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $45,733,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH owned approximately 0.44% of LKQ as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of LKQ in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 94.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on LKQ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.80.

LKQ Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $39.29 on Friday. LKQ Co. has a 52-week low of $35.57 and a 52-week high of $53.68. The business’s fifty day moving average is $38.62 and its 200 day moving average is $40.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.72. The firm has a market cap of $10.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.66 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.78%.

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.