Hancock Whitney Corp Buys 7,059 Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Hancock Whitney Corp raised its stake in shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) by 58.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,189 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,059 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in LKQ were worth $1,025,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LKQ. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 228.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 647 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in LKQ by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 777 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its stake in LKQ by 65.1% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 900 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in LKQ by 54.2% in the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 825 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In related news, Director Andrew C. Clarke bought 7,600 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $301,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $417,604.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other LKQ news, Director Andrew C. Clarke acquired 7,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.70 per share, for a total transaction of $301,720.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 10,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $417,604.30. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Xavier Urbain sold 867 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.50, for a total transaction of $38,581.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,606 shares in the company, valued at $694,467. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 13,084 shares of company stock worth $521,096. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LKQ. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.80.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ:LKQ traded down $0.32 on Friday, reaching $39.85. The stock had a trading volume of 351,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,800,440. The company has a market capitalization of $10.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ Co. has a 1-year low of $35.57 and a 1-year high of $55.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $42.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.36.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by ($0.05). LKQ had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 5.03%. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.09 earnings per share. LKQ’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.6 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. LKQ’s payout ratio is 38.96%.

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.