Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Buys Shares of 92,395 LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 92,395 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,843,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 54.2% in the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 825 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 65.1% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 900 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ in the first quarter worth $56,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its position in shares of LKQ by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Trading Up 2.6 %

LKQ stock opened at $40.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.70 billion, a PE ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 0.70. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.57 and a 12 month high of $53.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $40.80 and its 200 day moving average is $43.93.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.55 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. LKQ’s payout ratio is currently 38.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Andrew C. Clarke bought 7,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.70 per share, with a total value of $301,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $417,604.30. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other LKQ news, SVP Matthew J. Mckay purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.75 per share, for a total transaction of $99,375.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president now owns 94,670 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,763,132.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Andrew C. Clarke acquired 7,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.70 per share, with a total value of $301,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,519 shares in the company, valued at $417,604.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired a total of 12,600 shares of company stock valued at $500,870 over the last three months. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LKQ. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.00.

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.