Weiss Asset Management LP Makes New Investment in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 27,600 shares of the auto parts company's stock, valued at approximately $1,102,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Addenda Capital Inc. bought a new position in LKQ during the second quarter worth about $6,419,000. TCW Group Inc. bought a new position in LKQ during the second quarter worth about $6,601,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in LKQ by 3,683.6% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 274,577 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $11,420,000 after purchasing an additional 267,320 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in LKQ by 165.3% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 45,940 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $2,454,000 after purchasing an additional 28,623 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in LKQ by 28.6% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 65,548 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $2,726,000 after acquiring an additional 14,573 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LKQ has been the subject of several research reports. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $53.80.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $39.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,823,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,953,751. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.72. LKQ Co. has a fifty-two week low of $35.57 and a fifty-two week high of $53.68. The business's 50 day moving average price is $38.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.42. The company has a market cap of $10.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.91 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. The business 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.78%.

LKQ 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.