Holocene Advisors LP Acquires 66,317 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 44.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 214,646 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 66,317 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP’s holdings in LKQ were worth $8,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 94.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in LKQ by 33.5% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its holdings in LKQ by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of LKQ opened at $39.42 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.71 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ Co. has a 52 week low of $35.57 and a 52 week high of $53.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $38.59 and a 200-day moving average of $40.52. 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 (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s payout ratio is 44.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LKQ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, LKQ currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.80.

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.