Financial Counselors Inc. Sells 5,992 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Financial Counselors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 347,460 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 5,992 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $12,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 81.0% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in LKQ by 31.2% in 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 in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in LKQ by 618.0% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in LKQ in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $81,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings 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 worth $82,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $40.99 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.65 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $40.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.93. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $53.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LKQ

In other LKQ 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $13,352,356.68. This represents 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 sold 35,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,416,300 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.