LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Stake Reduced by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 530,910 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 87,146 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.20% of LKQ worth $19,511,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 81.0% in the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its position in LKQ by 618.0% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the third quarter worth approximately $81,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 107.8% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in LKQ by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $105,000 after acquiring an additional 585 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $43.38 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $11.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ Co. has a 52-week low of $35.56 and a 52-week high of $52.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.71. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $40.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.03.

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

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 45.80%.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total value of $416,600.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 359,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,975,186.92. The trade was a 2.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,864,350. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective 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 note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.60.

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.