Verition Fund Management LLC Purchases Shares of 84,775 LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 84,775 shares of the auto parts company's stock, valued at approximately $3,384,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of LKQ. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its position in shares of LKQ by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its position in LKQ by 33.5% during the third 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. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 31.2% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in LKQ by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 103,156 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $4,118,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 50,495 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $2,100,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LKQ has been the topic of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on 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 reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $53.80.

LKQ Stock Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $39.71. 2,481,196 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,942,740. LKQ Co. has a 52-week low of $35.57 and a 52-week high of $53.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $40.51. The firm has a market cap of $10.32 billion, a PE ratio of 14.76 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. LKQ's revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. LKQ's payout ratio is 44.78%.

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.