Alberta Investment Management Corp Makes New Investment in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 95,041 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,493,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LKQ. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC boosted its position in LKQ by 408.0% during the 4th quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 443,030 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $16,281,000 after purchasing an additional 355,815 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 657.4% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,733 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 5,844 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 38,292 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,464,000 after acquiring an additional 4,567 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of LKQ by 107.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 10,161 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LKQ has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com cut shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.40.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total transaction of $416,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 359,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,975,186.92. This trade represents a 2.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $781,500. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Performance

LKQ stock opened at $41.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ Co. has a fifty-two week low of $35.56 and a fifty-two week high of $53.68. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.75.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current year.

LKQ 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.