Benjamin Edwards Inc. Sells 3,038 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,335 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 3,038 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $968,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora boosted its holdings in LKQ by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 44,169 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 34,192 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 81.0% in the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its stake in LKQ by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 68,790 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,528,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in LKQ by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,436 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Trading Up 1.6 %

LKQ opened at $40.02 on Friday. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $46.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $40.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.16. The firm has a market cap of $10.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.79. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The business had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.78%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In related news, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. This represents a 0.97 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total value of $634,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 336,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,225,233.20. This trade represents a 4.27 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,873,750 in the last quarter. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.60.

LKQ 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.