Advisory Services Network LLC Increases Holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Advisory Services Network LLC grew its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 35,549 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 2,673 shares during the quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $1,306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LKQ. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in LKQ by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 818,792 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $30,091,000 after acquiring an additional 7,418 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 448,160 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $16,470,000 after purchasing an additional 134,000 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of LKQ by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 34,192 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,257,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the period. FIL Ltd raised its stake in LKQ by 1,008.7% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 964,923 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $35,461,000 after buying an additional 877,888 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in LKQ by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,571,136 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $204,739,000 after buying an additional 1,171,481 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total value of $416,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 359,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,975,186.92. The trade was a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,864,350 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

LKQ Stock Performance

LKQ stock opened at $42.01 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $40.89 and its 200 day moving average is $39.06. The company has a market capitalization of $10.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.03 and a beta of 1.09. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $35.56 and a twelve month high of $50.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. On average, equities research analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.80%.

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.