Machina Capital S.A.S. Boosts Stock Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Machina Capital S.A.S. boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 69.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,401 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,092 shares during the quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $456,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Callan Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 7,698 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 484 shares in the last quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of LKQ by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 37,113 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,364,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares during the period. Inceptionr LLC raised its position in shares of LKQ by 131.4% during the fourth quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 30,663 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 17,413 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter worth $40,363,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter worth $556,000. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Performance

LKQ opened at $43.38 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.24 billion, a PE ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.69 and a 200-day moving average of $38.94. LKQ Co. has a 52-week low of $35.56 and a 52-week high of $53.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.71.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, LKQ currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total value of $180,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 369,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,352,356.68. This represents a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 35,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,416,300. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

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.