Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 59,255 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 551,181 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 59,255 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $26,345,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 228.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 647 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $43.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.00 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.70. LKQ Co. has a fifty-two week low of $41.30 and a fifty-two week high of $59.38. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.01.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The auto parts company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. Analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 38.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on LKQ. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. StockNews.com lowered shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of LKQ from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total transaction of $10,394,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,087,548.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

About LKQ

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.