Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Makes New $1.59 Million Investment in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 38,313 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,593,000.

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

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ stock traded up $0.76 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $41.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,197,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,781,926. The company has a market capitalization of $11.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $41.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.61. 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 current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 0.70.

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

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.96%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.