LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Sold by Isthmus Partners LLC

Isthmus Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 22.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 233,909 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 65,946 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $8,596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LKQ. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its stake in LKQ by 81.0% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in LKQ by 31.2% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in LKQ during the third quarter worth about $57,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the third quarter valued at approximately $81,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $43.38 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $38.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.90. The company has a market cap of $11.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $53.68. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. Sell-side analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LKQ shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total value of $634,800.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 336,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,225,233.20. The trade was a 4.27 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 35,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,416,300. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.