Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 87,146 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 530,910 shares of the auto parts company's stock after selling 87,146 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.20% of LKQ worth $19,511,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 15.8% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,178 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $805,000 after acquiring an additional 2,759 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of LKQ by 25.9% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 207,055 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $8,266,000 after purchasing an additional 42,634 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in LKQ by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 10,975 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in LKQ by 88.3% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 77,345 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $3,088,000 after buying an additional 36,259 shares during the period. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC bought a new position in LKQ in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,384,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company's stock.

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LKQ Stock Down 4.3 %

NASDAQ:LKQ traded down $1.78 on Monday, hitting $39.51. 3,258,058 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,238,313. The company has a market cap of $10.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $40.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.02. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $35.56 and a 52 week high of $52.06.

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

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. LKQ's payout ratio is 45.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 359,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,975,186.92. The trade was a 2.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,864,350. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on LKQ. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, LKQ presently has a consensus 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.