Albert D Mason Inc. Increases Stake in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Albert D Mason Inc. grew its position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 7.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 45,156 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after buying an additional 3,005 shares during the quarter. LKQ accounts for 1.3% of Albert D Mason Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Albert D Mason Inc.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $1,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at about $165,548,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at about $160,339,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at about $119,395,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at about $91,678,000. Finally, Eminence Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at about $68,944,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ opened at $39.04 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $10.08 billion, a PE ratio of 14.90 and a beta of 0.98. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $46.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.60.

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

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.02, for a total value of $190,100.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 316,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,019,452.70. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,708 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $36.99 per share, for a total transaction of $100,168.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 280,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. This represents a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.47% 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.