Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 76,692 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 21.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 440,244 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 76,692 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $16,109,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 42,563 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,564,000 after buying an additional 22,575 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in LKQ by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 8,406,444 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $309,609,000 after acquiring an additional 833,519 shares in the last quarter. Semanteon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter worth approximately $367,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the third quarter worth approximately $634,000. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 58.8% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 268,031 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $9,850,000 after purchasing an additional 99,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total value of $634,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 336,135 shares in the company, valued at $14,225,233.20. This represents a 4.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,000 shares of company stock worth $1,416,300. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $41.59 on Monday. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $53.53. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87 and a beta of 1.28.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. Equities research analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 45.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.