Blueshift Asset Management LLC Invests $1.55 Million in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 42,128 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,548,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in LKQ in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $274,000. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 45,069 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,799,000 after buying an additional 2,530 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 479,800.0% in the third quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 4,799 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 4,798 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in LKQ during the third quarter worth $1,840,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in LKQ by 40.8% in the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 24,515 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $979,000 after acquiring an additional 7,104 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total transaction of $634,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 336,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,225,233.20. This represents a 4.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 35,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,416,300 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.60.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ opened at $41.55 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $39.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.94. LKQ Co. has a 52 week low of $35.56 and a 52 week high of $53.68. The stock has a market cap of $10.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.86 and a beta of 1.28.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.80%.

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.