Vista Investment Partners LLC Purchases New Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Vista Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 38,465 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,600,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,408,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in LKQ by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 61,373 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,933,000 after acquiring an additional 11,684 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in LKQ during the 4th quarter worth $247,000. Simplicity Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of LKQ by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 14,715 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $703,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of LKQ in the fourth quarter worth about $774,000. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LKQ. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, July 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.80.

LKQ Trading Up 0.8 %

LKQ stock traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $40.29. The stock had a trading volume of 1,693,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,792,220. The firm has a market cap of $10.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ Co. has a twelve month low of $35.57 and a twelve month high of $54.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.73.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.91 per share, for a total transaction of $99,775.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,281,923.65. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Andrew C. Clarke bought 7,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $301,720.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $417,604.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,500 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.91 per share, with a total value of $99,775.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,281,923.65. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders bought 13,084 shares of company stock worth $521,096. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.