Clarkston Capital Partners LLC Makes New $91.68 Million Investment in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Clarkston Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,494,650 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $91,678,000. LKQ accounts for 1.8% of Clarkston Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LKQ. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in LKQ by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 630,314 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $23,150,000 after acquiring an additional 90,098 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,970,000. Islay Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at $559,000. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its position in LKQ by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 5,775 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $212,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the period. Finally, Bryce Point Capital LLC acquired a new stake in LKQ during the fourth quarter worth $563,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LKQ. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, LKQ currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $52.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total value 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. The trade was a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,864,350 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $41.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $10.68 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $52.06. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $40.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.04.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is 45.80%.

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.