Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Acquires 61,145 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 264.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 84,235 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,145 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $3,096,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Blair William & Co. IL grew its position in shares of LKQ by 75.8% in the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 7,322 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 3,156 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in LKQ in the 2nd quarter valued at about $237,000. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado grew its holdings in LKQ by 10.2% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 19,185 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $798,000 after purchasing an additional 1,775 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its position in LKQ by 36.5% during the second quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 56,439 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,347,000 after buying an additional 15,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in LKQ by 27.1% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 766,687 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,886,000 after buying an additional 163,615 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ stock opened at $39.21 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.72. LKQ Co. has a 52 week low of $35.56 and a 52 week high of $53.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.63 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $37.80 and a 200-day moving average of $39.38.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. The firm had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total value of $184,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 374,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,795,180.08. The trade was a 1.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, LKQ has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.80.

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.