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

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 15.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 336,080 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 62,232 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.13% of LKQ worth $12,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 58.8% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 268,031 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $9,850,000 after purchasing an additional 99,229 shares during the last quarter. Skylands Capital LLC lifted its holdings in LKQ by 107.0% during the 4th quarter. Skylands Capital LLC now owns 72,050 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,648,000 after buying an additional 37,250 shares during the last quarter. South Dakota Investment Council grew its position in shares of LKQ by 23.7% in the 4th quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 446,173 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $16,397,000 after acquiring an additional 85,394 shares in the last quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its position in shares of LKQ by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 54,586 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Access Investment Management LLC now owns 137,795 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $5,064,000 after acquiring an additional 12,130 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total transaction of $416,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 359,462 shares in the company, valued at $14,975,186.92. This trade represents a 2.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $781,500 over the last 90 days. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on LKQ. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, LKQ has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.60.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ LKQ opened at $41.87 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $37.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.81. LKQ Co. has a 52 week low of $35.56 and a 52 week high of $53.68. The stock has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during 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 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 dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.80%.

LKQ Company 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.