LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Stake Lessened by Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE decreased its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 14.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,174 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 6,094 shares during the quarter. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings in LKQ were worth $1,463,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 777 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 54.2% in the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 825 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 65.1% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 900 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the first quarter worth $56,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.80.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.30 during trading on Friday, reaching $40.29. 1,693,117 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,792,220. LKQ Co. has a 1-year low of $35.57 and a 1-year high of $54.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $41.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.73. The company has a market cap of $10.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.03 by ($0.05). LKQ had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 5.03%. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.6 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.96%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Matthew J. Mckay bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.75 per share, for a total transaction of $99,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,763,132.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director Andrew C. Clarke purchased 7,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $301,720.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $417,604.30. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matthew J. Mckay acquired 2,500 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.75 per share, for a total transaction of $99,375.00. Following the purchase, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,670 shares in the company, valued at $3,763,132.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 13,084 shares of company stock valued at $521,096 over the last three months. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.