Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Buys 60,843 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 33.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 244,524 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 60,843 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.09% of LKQ worth $8,986,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of LKQ by 81.0% during the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its holdings in LKQ by 618.0% during the 4th 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 position in shares of LKQ in the 3rd quarter worth about $81,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the period. 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 and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of LKQ opened at $43.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $11.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s fifty day moving average is $40.39 and its 200 day moving average is $39.03. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $52.84.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.42 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total transaction of $634,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 336,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,225,233.20. This trade represents a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,864,350 over the last 90 days. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.