LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 40.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,418,725 shares of the auto parts company's stock after acquiring an additional 407,593 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.55% of LKQ worth $56,631,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in LKQ by 94.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its position in shares of LKQ by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its position in shares of LKQ by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of LKQ stock traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $39.36. 2,326,605 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,935,627. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $10.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.69 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $39.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.13. LKQ Co. has a fifty-two week low of $35.57 and a fifty-two week high of $53.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. The firm's revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $53.80.

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.