Principal Securities Inc. Takes $80,000 Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,680 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CVA Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Headinvest LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LKQ Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $43.92 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $11.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $47.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $41.30 and a twelve month high of $59.38.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The auto parts company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.95 by ($0.13). LKQ had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. LKQ’s payout ratio is 38.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LKQ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on LKQ from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com lowered LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on LKQ from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, LKQ presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $61.60.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In related news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total value of $10,394,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other LKQ 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 value of $10,394,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,087,548.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Xavier Urbain sold 867 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.50, for a total transaction of $38,581.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 15,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $694,467. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.45% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.