Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 192,955 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 956.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 213,133 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 192,955 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 0.08% of LKQ worth $7,879,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its stake in LKQ by 81.0% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its position in LKQ by 618.0% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at $81,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in LKQ by 107.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ stock traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $41.76. 623,161 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,268,658. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.71. LKQ Co. has a one year low of $35.56 and a one year high of $49.50. The stock has a market cap of $10.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $41.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.10.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. On average, equities analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. LKQ's payout ratio is 45.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the director now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,864,350 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LKQ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price 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.