Cerity Partners LLC Acquires New Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,172 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $247,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Counselors Inc. grew its position in LKQ by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 274,566 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $13,122,000 after purchasing an additional 1,223 shares during the last quarter. Inlet Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Inlet Private Wealth LLC now owns 148,786 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $7,110,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 9,002,807 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $430,244,000 after acquiring an additional 383,031 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,408,000. Finally, Olstein Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 147,619 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $7,055,000 after acquiring an additional 9,619 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LKQ shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of LKQ from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $66.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.60.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $43.64 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $50.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.14. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $41.30 and a twelve month high of $59.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.64 billion, a PE ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 1.28.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The auto parts company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.13). LKQ had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 5.79%. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. LKQ’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.94 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. LKQ’s payout ratio is 38.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LKQ news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total transaction of $10,394,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,087,548.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company 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.