Principal Securities Inc. Has $373,000 Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 20.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,161 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in LKQ during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in LKQ by 94.2% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in LKQ by 31.2% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ during the third quarter worth $57,000. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 618.0% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Performance

LKQ stock opened at $40.49 on Friday. LKQ Co. has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $53.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $37.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.76. The stock has a market cap of $10.53 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. As a group, analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total value of $180,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 369,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,352,356.68. The trade was a 1.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $781,500 over the last ninety days. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.60.

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.