Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Decreases Stock Holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. reduced its position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 78.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 60,017 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 222,451 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $2,868,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LKQ. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 228.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 647 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Headinvest LLC purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LKQ has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $66.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, April 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on LKQ from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on LKQ from $58.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.60.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other LKQ news, Director Xavier Urbain sold 867 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.50, for a total value of $38,581.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $694,467. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total transaction of $10,394,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,087,548.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Xavier Urbain sold 867 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.50, for a total value of $38,581.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $694,467. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Performance

LKQ stock opened at $44.50 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $48.14 and a 200-day moving average of $47.80. The firm has a market cap of $11.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.45 and a beta of 1.33. LKQ Co. has a 1-year low of $41.30 and a 1-year high of $59.38.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The auto parts company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.76 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 5.79%. LKQ’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.93 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.96%.

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.