LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Director Andrew C. Clarke Buys 7,600 Shares

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Director Andrew C. Clarke bought 7,600 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.70 per share, with a total value of $301,720.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,519 shares in the company, valued at $417,604.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

LKQ Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of LKQ stock traded down $0.07 on Monday, hitting $40.11. The stock had a trading volume of 1,580,434 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,794,987. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. LKQ Co. has a one year low of $35.57 and a one year high of $55.52. The stock has a market cap of $10.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.53.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.03 by ($0.05). LKQ had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Choreo LLC acquired a new stake in LKQ during the fourth quarter worth about $851,000. Homestead Advisers Corp acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at $20,583,000. Osborne Partners Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in LKQ during the 4th quarter worth about $5,888,000. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in LKQ by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 689,041 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $32,929,000 after purchasing an additional 227,314 shares during the period. Finally, River Road Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 4,690,401 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $224,154,000 after acquiring an additional 114,207 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on LKQ. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $66.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.80.

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.