Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Sells 6,766 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lowered its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 186,272 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 6,766 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned approximately 0.07% of LKQ worth $7,747,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in LKQ by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 11,307,753 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $540,398,000 after purchasing an additional 977,585 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 875,420 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 39.8% in the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 3,067,772 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $127,589,000 after acquiring an additional 873,665 shares during the period. Boston Partners grew its stake in LKQ by 9.5% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 8,220,571 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $438,108,000 after acquiring an additional 712,698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in LKQ by 230.3% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,011,132 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $42,053,000 after acquiring an additional 705,040 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Matthew J. Mckay acquired 2,500 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.75 per share, with a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Matthew J. Mckay acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.75 per share, with a total value of $99,375.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the senior vice president now owns 94,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,763,132.50. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 purchased at an average cost of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $301,720.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $417,604.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders acquired 12,600 shares of company stock valued at $500,870 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

LKQ Price Performance

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

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.87 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 5.03%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. Equities analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 38.96%.

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.