Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Purchases 1,305 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,804 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,305 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Czech National Bank grew its position in LKQ by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 47,084 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,515,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 777 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its stake in LKQ by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in LKQ by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 5,249 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Wealth Solutions LLC boosted its position in LKQ by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Evergreen Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 5,229 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ LKQ opened at $42.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a PE ratio of 13.84 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ Co. has a 52-week low of $35.57 and a 52-week high of $54.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $41.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.55.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.03 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s payout ratio is currently 38.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Matthew J. Mckay bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.75 per share, for a total transaction of $99,375.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,670 shares in the company, valued at $3,763,132.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Andrew C. Clarke bought 7,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $301,720.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $417,604.30. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew J. Mckay purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.75 per share, for a total transaction of $99,375.00. Following the purchase, the senior vice president now directly owns 94,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,763,132.50. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 13,084 shares of company stock worth $521,096 in the last 90 days. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LKQ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, LKQ presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.80.

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.