LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $63.80.

LKQ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of LKQ from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Tuesday.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of LKQ traded down $7.00 on Tuesday, reaching $41.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,261,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,569,097. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.91 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.36. LKQ has a 12-month low of $41.49 and a 12-month high of $59.38.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The auto parts company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.95 by ($0.13). LKQ had a net margin of 6.75% and a return on equity of 17.24%. The company had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.76 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.04 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that LKQ will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.29%.

Insider Activity

In other LKQ news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total value of $10,394,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,087,548.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in LKQ during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in LKQ by 228.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 647 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in LKQ during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Headinvest LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.