LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Sold by Kennedy Capital Management LLC

Kennedy Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 228,838 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 10,899 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $8,410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of LKQ by 81.0% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its holdings in LKQ by 618.0% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in LKQ in the third quarter worth about $81,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in LKQ by 107.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $41.11 on Friday. LKQ Co. has a 1 year low of $35.56 and a 1 year high of $50.56. The company has a market cap of $10.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $40.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.04.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. As a group, analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on LKQ shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $52.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total value of $180,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 369,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,352,356.68. The trade was a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,864,350. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.