LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 0.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 185,838 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 434 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.07% of LKQ worth $7,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ during the second quarter worth $3,839,000. Capital World Investors grew its stake in LKQ by 91.0% during the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 582,953 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,136,000 after purchasing an additional 277,700 shares during the last quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the second quarter valued at about $6,419,000. TCW Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the second quarter worth about $6,601,000. Finally, Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the first quarter worth about $20,555,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

LKQ Stock Up 1.6 %

LKQ opened at $38.50 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $38.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.37 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ Co. has a fifty-two week low of $35.57 and a fifty-two week high of $53.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.72.

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

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on LKQ shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, LKQ has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.80.

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.