Scientech Research LLC Acquires New Holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Scientech Research LLC bought a new stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,901 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $245,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 0.5% in the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 47,084 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,515,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 5,249 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in LKQ by 2.2% during the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 13,158 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ opened at $39.92 on Tuesday. 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 Co. has a one year low of $35.57 and a one year high of $53.68. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $40.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.65 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by ($0.05). LKQ had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is 38.96%.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In other news, Director Andrew C. Clarke purchased 7,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.70 per share, with a total value of $301,720.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $417,604.30. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other LKQ news, Director Andrew C. Clarke purchased 7,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $301,720.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $417,604.30. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew J. Mckay purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.75 per share, for a total transaction of $99,375.00. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,763,132.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 12,600 shares of company stock valued at $500,870. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

LKQ 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.