Cerity Partners LLC Raises Stock Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,178 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,759 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $805,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in LKQ in the third quarter worth $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 94.2% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 33.5% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Trading Up 0.6 %

LKQ stock opened at $39.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.33 billion, a PE ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 1.29. The business’s fifty day moving average is $38.59 and its 200 day moving average is $40.51. LKQ Co. has a one year low of $35.57 and a one year high of $53.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LKQ shares. StockNews.com raised LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.80.

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.