LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Bought by Earnest Partners LLC

Earnest Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 0.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,006,609 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,351 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC owned 0.38% of LKQ worth $41,865,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 65.1% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 900 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 54.2% in the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 825 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 29.8% in the second quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the first quarter worth about $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on LKQ shares. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. StockNews.com lowered LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, LKQ currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.00.

LKQ Stock Up 2.6 %

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $40.10 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.70 billion, a PE ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $40.80 and a 200-day moving average of $43.93. LKQ Co. has a 52 week low of $35.57 and a 52 week high of $53.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.03 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. Analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.96%.

Insider Activity

In other LKQ news, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,500 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.91 per share, for a total transaction of $99,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 207,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,281,923.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other LKQ news, Director Andrew C. Clarke acquired 7,600 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $301,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $417,604.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,500 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.91 per share, with a total value of $99,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 207,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,281,923.65. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 12,600 shares of company stock valued at $500,870. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.