LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Acquired by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,304 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 620 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in LKQ were worth $1,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC increased its position in LKQ by 13.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,581 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 762 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in LKQ by 0.8% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 81,945 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $4,056,000 after buying an additional 615 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in LKQ in the third quarter worth $877,000. Czech National Bank increased its position in LKQ by 55.5% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 46,763 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,315,000 after buying an additional 16,698 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in LKQ by 2.2% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 426,454 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $21,114,000 after buying an additional 9,273 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on LKQ. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com cut LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on LKQ from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.60.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In related news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $20,087,548.34. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $42.92 on Friday. LKQ Co. has a 1 year low of $41.30 and a 1 year high of $59.38. The stock has a market cap of $11.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.94 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a fifty day moving average of $50.97 and a 200-day moving average of $48.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.70.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.04 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.96%.

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.