Ananym Capital Management LP Invests $23.91 Million in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Ananym Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 650,600 shares of the auto parts company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,910,000. LKQ makes up approximately 14.5% of Ananym Capital Management LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Ananym Capital Management LP owned 0.25% of LKQ at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in LKQ in the fourth quarter worth approximately $91,678,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in LKQ by 112.9% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 42,563 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,564,000 after purchasing an additional 22,575 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in LKQ by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 8,406,444 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $309,609,000 after purchasing an additional 833,519 shares in the last quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in LKQ during the fourth quarter worth $559,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 126,729 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $4,657,000 after buying an additional 11,975 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of LKQ opened at $39.34 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $41.18 and a 200 day moving average of $39.15. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $46.64. The company has a market capitalization of $10.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.02 and a beta of 1.09.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LKQ shares. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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, StockNews.com cut LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.60.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total transaction of $416,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 359,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,975,186.92. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares in the company, valued at $10,385,941.23. This represents a 0.97 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 50,000 shares of company stock worth $2,054,450. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

LKQ 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.