Neuberger Berman Group LLC Lowers Stock Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Neuberger Berman Group LLC trimmed its holdings in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 36.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,508 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 4,827 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $313,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its position 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 during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake 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 during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ during the third quarter worth $81,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in LKQ by 107.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in LKQ by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,815 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 553 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

LKQ Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ opened at $42.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $40.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.06. LKQ Co. has a 52 week low of $35.56 and a 52 week high of $50.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.03 and a beta of 1.09.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The company 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.80%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.15, for a total transaction of $632,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 321,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,535,840.25. This trade represents a 4.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,864,350 in the last 90 days. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.