Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,673 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,414 shares during the quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of LKQ by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 91,086 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $3,347,000 after buying an additional 4,524 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC purchased a new position in LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $663,000. Amundi increased its holdings in LKQ by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,415,390 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $51,474,000 after acquiring an additional 202,676 shares during the period. Lifeworks Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the 4th quarter worth approximately $229,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in LKQ by 41.9% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 54,410 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,000,000 after purchasing an additional 16,079 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $40.78 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $39.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.92. LKQ Co. has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $53.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $10.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.56 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 the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. Equities analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. LKQ’s payout ratio is 45.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total value of $180,700.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 369,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,352,356.68. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 35,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,416,300. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.