LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Stock Position Lifted by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,357 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 613 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $973,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,907,659 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $490,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195,122 shares during the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 95.1% in the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,403,053 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $114,842,000 after buying an additional 1,171,225 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 7,149,362 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $357,182,000 after acquiring an additional 844,188 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 181.2% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 884,049 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $43,769,000 after acquiring an additional 569,719 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,330,168 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $511,447,000 after acquiring an additional 540,259 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ LKQ opened at $44.32 on Friday. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $41.30 and a twelve month high of $59.38. The stock has a market cap of $11.82 billion, a PE ratio of 14.39 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.70.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The auto parts company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.13). LKQ had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 5.79%. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. LKQ’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.94 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. LKQ’s payout ratio is currently 38.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Xavier Urbain sold 867 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.50, for a total transaction of $38,581.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,467. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Xavier Urbain sold 867 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.50, for a total transaction of $38,581.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $694,467. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total transaction of $10,394,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares in the company, valued at $20,087,548.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LKQ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of LKQ from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on LKQ from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.60.

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.