LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Acquired by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council raised its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) by 23.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 446,173 shares of the auto parts company's stock after purchasing an additional 85,394 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council owned 0.17% of LKQ worth $16,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LKQ. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of LKQ by 0.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,977,708 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $478,150,000 after purchasing an additional 33,212 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in LKQ by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,449,166 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $457,051,000 after purchasing an additional 134,176 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 8,406,444 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $309,609,000 after buying an additional 833,519 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of LKQ by 0.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,542,740 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $260,330,000 after buying an additional 21,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 7.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,020,689 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $240,346,000 after buying an additional 411,390 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.21 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $41.75. 2,940,542 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,165,769. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.93 and a beta of 1.29. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.79. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $35.56 and a twelve month high of $53.68.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.42 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the 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 owns 359,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,975,186.92. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $781,500 over the last 90 days. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.