Clearbridge Investments LLC Has $19.51 Million Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 530,910 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 87,146 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $19,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in LKQ by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 9,551 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 1,145 shares in the last quarter. Allstate Corp bought a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $292,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in LKQ by 33.1% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 244,524 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $8,986,000 after purchasing an additional 60,843 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in LKQ by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 78,201 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,874,000 after purchasing an additional 573 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,329,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LKQ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total transaction of $180,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 369,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,352,356.68. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,864,350 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $43.38 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $11.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ Co. has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $52.84. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The company 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%. Analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.80%.

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.