Kennedy Capital Management LLC Trims Stock Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC decreased its position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 228,838 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 10,899 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.09% of LKQ worth $8,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of LKQ by 71.3% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,116 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,297 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at $40,363,000. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its stake in LKQ by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 35,549 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $1,306,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in LKQ by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 818,792 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $30,091,000 after purchasing an additional 7,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in LKQ by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 448,160 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $16,470,000 after purchasing an additional 134,000 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LKQ Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of LKQ stock traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $41.67. The company had a trading volume of 499,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,266,975. The company has a 50 day moving average of $41.08 and a 200 day moving average of $39.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90 and a beta of 1.09. LKQ Co. has a 52-week low of $35.56 and a 52-week high of $49.50.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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. On average, equities analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued 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 2.88%. LKQ's payout ratio is 45.80%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total transaction of $416,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 359,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,975,186.92. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,864,350. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $52.60.

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.