KBC Group NV Grows Stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

KBC Group NV grew its stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 68.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,210,661 shares of the auto parts company's stock after buying an additional 492,356 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned approximately 0.47% of LKQ worth $44,492,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in LKQ by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,815 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC increased its position in LKQ by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 19,938 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. increased its position in LKQ by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 290,000 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $10,658,000 after buying an additional 40,000 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in LKQ by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,841 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $178,000 after buying an additional 412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of LKQ by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 111,460 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $4,096,000 after purchasing an additional 13,364 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on LKQ. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $53.80.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 374,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,795,180.08. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ stock traded down $0.77 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $38.13. 2,161,109 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,046,524. The stock's fifty day moving average is $37.83 and its 200-day moving average is $39.25. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $53.68. The stock has a market cap of $9.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.23 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

LKQ 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.