Janus Henderson Group PLC Acquires 285,379 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 36.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,073,932 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 285,379 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.41% of LKQ worth $39,467,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LKQ. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in LKQ by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 56,365 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,071,000 after acquiring an additional 2,737 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC boosted its stake in LKQ by 60.8% in the fourth quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 34,216 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,257,000 after acquiring an additional 12,944 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in LKQ by 264.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 84,235 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $3,096,000 after acquiring an additional 61,145 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in LKQ by 149.1% in the fourth quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 63,365 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,329,000 after acquiring an additional 37,928 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in LKQ by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 15,127 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 4,131 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total transaction of $634,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 336,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,225,233.20. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude bought 2,708 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 280,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. The trade was a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,873,750 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $42.02 on Thursday. LKQ Co. has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $46.64. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $10.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.04 and a beta of 0.98.

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

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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 research note on Friday, February 21st. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.60.

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.