Lifeworks Advisors LLC Purchases New Stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Lifeworks Advisors LLC acquired a new position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,239 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $229,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 81.0% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in LKQ by 31.2% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in LKQ during the third quarter worth about $57,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its position in shares of LKQ by 618.0% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $81,000. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Up 1.5 %

LKQ opened at $43.38 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ Co. has a one year low of $35.56 and a one year high of $53.68. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $38.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.42 billion. Equities research analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LKQ shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 1st. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total value of $184,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 374,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,795,180.08. This represents a 1.32 % 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 a total of 35,000 shares of company stock worth $1,416,300 over the last three months. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.