Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Purchases 11,207 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 67.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,715 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 11,207 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $1,019,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its stake in LKQ by 226.3% in the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 22,363 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $893,000 after buying an additional 15,509 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of LKQ in the third quarter worth about $81,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in LKQ by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 32,995 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,317,000 after buying an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in LKQ by 11.6% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 15,235 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $608,000 after purchasing an additional 1,588 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 9.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 519,232 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $20,401,000 after buying an additional 43,541 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LKQ Trading Down 11.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $37.26 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.18. The company has a market capitalization of $9.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22 and a beta of 1.09. LKQ Co. has a 52-week low of $35.56 and a 52-week high of $46.64.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. Sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is 45.80%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total transaction of $180,700.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 369,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,352,356.68. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,864,350. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.