American Century Companies Inc. Sells 21,845 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 819,319 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 21,845 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.32% of LKQ worth $30,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 15.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,178 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $805,000 after acquiring an additional 2,759 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in LKQ by 31.2% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in LKQ by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 207,055 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $8,266,000 after buying an additional 42,634 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,020,689 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $240,346,000 after buying an additional 411,390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in shares of LKQ by 83.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 131,662 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $5,256,000 after buying an additional 60,019 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Up 0.5 %

LKQ opened at $41.59 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $53.53. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $40.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s payout ratio is 45.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the company’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 transaction of $180,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 369,462 shares in the company, valued at $13,352,356.68. This represents a 1.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 35,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,416,300. 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.