Cetera Investment Advisers Sells 2,812 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Cetera Investment Advisers cut its stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 43,128 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 2,812 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in LKQ were worth $1,794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LKQ. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in LKQ in the second quarter worth about $33,000. CVA Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 54.2% during the 1st quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 825 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 65.1% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 900 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of LKQ during the 1st quarter worth approximately $56,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its holdings 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 worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LKQ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LKQ news, Director Andrew C. Clarke bought 7,600 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $39.70 per share, with a total value of $301,720.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 10,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $417,604.30. This trade represents a 200.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.91 per share, for a total transaction of $99,775.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,281,923.65. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Andrew C. Clarke purchased 7,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $417,604.30. The trade was a 200.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 12,600 shares of company stock valued at $500,870. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $39.29 on Tuesday. LKQ Co. has a 1-year low of $35.57 and a 1-year high of $53.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $40.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.71. The company has a market capitalization of $10.48 billion, a PE ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 1.28.

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

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s payout ratio is 38.96%.

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.