Guardian Wealth Management Inc. Boosts Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Guardian Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 1.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,847 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the quarter. LKQ accounts for 2.4% of Guardian Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Guardian Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $3,154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Homestead Advisers Corp purchased a new stake in LKQ in the 4th quarter worth approximately $20,583,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,839,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of LKQ by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 689,041 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $32,929,000 after acquiring an additional 227,314 shares during the period. CHURCHILL MANAGEMENT Corp purchased a new position in LKQ during the first quarter worth approximately $1,468,000. Finally, Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of LKQ by 91.0% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 582,953 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,136,000 after buying an additional 277,700 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LKQ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LKQ news, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $39.91 per share, with a total value of $99,775.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 207,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,281,923.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CEO Justin L. Jude bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was purchased 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 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 is available at this link. Also, Director Andrew C. Clarke acquired 7,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $39.70 per share, with a total value of $301,720.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $417,604.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 12,600 shares of company stock worth $500,870. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Up 3.4 %

Shares of LKQ opened at $41.04 on Friday. LKQ Co. has a 52-week low of $35.57 and a 52-week high of $53.68. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $41.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.74. The company has a market capitalization of $10.80 billion, a PE ratio of 13.32 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 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%. LKQ’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.6 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s dividend 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.