Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 29,729 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 234,223 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,729 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in LKQ were worth $9,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in LKQ by 94.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in LKQ by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $38.20 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $38.94 and its 200 day moving average is $41.02. LKQ Co. has a 1-year low of $35.57 and a 1-year high of $53.68.

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

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. LKQ’s payout ratio is 44.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LKQ has been the topic of several research reports. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $53.80.

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.