LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Reaches New 12-Month Low Following Insider Selling

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $35.56 and last traded at $36.07, with a volume of 234138 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.24.

Specifically, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total value of $184,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 374,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,795,180.08. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on LKQ. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com raised LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, LKQ currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.80.

LKQ Trading Up 1.0 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.76. The stock has a market cap of $9.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.65 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,733,000. Seizert Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in LKQ by 451.1% during the third quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,327,664 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $53,000,000 after buying an additional 1,086,758 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in LKQ by 552.8% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,236,158 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $51,412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,805 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in LKQ by 7.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,944,496 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $496,772,000 after acquiring an additional 875,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. acquired a new stake in LKQ in the 3rd quarter valued at about $19,889,000. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

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.