Xponance Inc. Grows Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,059 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 984 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $1,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in shares of LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,114,000. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 69,201 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,543,000 after buying an additional 1,443 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 12,231 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $449,000 after buying an additional 1,915 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 41,177 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,513,000 after buying an additional 5,254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new position in shares of LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at about $9,608,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $40.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $39.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.42 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ Co. has a one year low of $35.56 and a one year high of $53.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. Analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.80%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of LKQ 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 sale, the director now directly owns 369,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,352,356.68. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,000 shares of company stock worth $1,416,300. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $52.60.

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.