LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Sold by Arizona State Retirement System

Arizona State Retirement System reduced its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 73,283 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 319 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in LKQ were worth $3,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LKQ. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in LKQ during the 4th quarter worth $1,408,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 40.8% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 777 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in LKQ in the fourth quarter worth about $263,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at about $80,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in LKQ by 70.6% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 227,628 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $10,878,000 after buying an additional 94,224 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Matthew J. Mckay acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.75 per share, with a total value of $99,375.00. Following the purchase, the senior vice president now owns 94,670 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,763,132.50. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other LKQ news, SVP Matthew J. Mckay bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.75 per share, with a total value of $99,375.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,670 shares in the company, valued at $3,763,132.50. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Andrew C. Clarke purchased 7,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $301,720.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $417,604.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 12,600 shares of company stock worth $500,870. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LKQ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.80.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ opened at $39.98 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.53 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ Co. has a 1-year low of $35.57 and a 1-year high of $53.68. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $41.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.91.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 5.03%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.6 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.96%.

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.