Franklin Resources Inc. Raises Stock Position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 9.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 519,232 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,541 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in LKQ were worth $20,401,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its holdings in LKQ by 29.8% during the second quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in LKQ by 33.5% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in LKQ by 31.2% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 0.3% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 103,156 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $4,118,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 50,495 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,100,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.80.

LKQ Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $36.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.72. LKQ Co. has a fifty-two week low of $35.57 and a fifty-two week high of $53.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.15. The company has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.01. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

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.