Prudential PLC Has $3.28 Million Stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Prudential PLC reduced its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 55.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 89,222 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 111,905 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $3,279,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its position in LKQ by 81.0% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 618.0% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in LKQ during the third quarter valued at $81,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in LKQ by 107.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,847 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 336,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,225,233.20. This represents a 4.27 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,864,350. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LKQ has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.60.

LKQ Trading Down 2.1 %

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $41.29 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $40.52 and its 200-day moving average is $39.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $52.06. The firm has a market cap of $10.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.76 and a beta of 1.28.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 45.80%.

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.