Brandes Investment Partners LP Grows Holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Brandes Investment Partners LP raised its position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 118.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,467,822 shares of the auto parts company's stock after purchasing an additional 796,461 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP owned about 0.56% of LKQ worth $53,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 618.0% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of LKQ during the 3rd quarter worth about $81,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 107.8% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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LKQ Trading Down 1.6 %

LKQ traded down $0.69 on Wednesday, reaching $41.55. 2,970,805 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,045,348. The company's 50 day moving average is $39.52 and its 200-day moving average is $38.92. The company has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $35.56 and a twelve month high of $53.68. 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 (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. Equities analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LKQ

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 shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $13,352,356.68. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 35,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,416,300 over the last 90 days. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LKQ. StockNews.com lowered shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 1st. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.