KBC Group NV Raises Stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

KBC Group NV increased its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 33.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 718,305 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 181,242 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in LKQ were worth $28,674,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in LKQ by 2.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,897,480 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,650,234,000 after acquiring an additional 656,883 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in LKQ by 7.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,944,496 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $496,772,000 after purchasing an additional 875,420 shares during the period. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of LKQ by 9.5% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 8,220,571 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $438,108,000 after purchasing an additional 712,698 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 6.1% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,398,538 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $182,936,000 after acquiring an additional 253,639 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 39.8% in the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 3,067,772 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $127,589,000 after buying an additional 873,665 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Trading Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ LKQ opened at $38.20 on Friday. LKQ Co. has a 52 week low of $35.57 and a 52 week high of $53.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.93 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. LKQ’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.86 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.80.

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.