Short Interest in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Rises By 27.1%

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,930,000 shares, an increase of 27.1% from the October 31st total of 3,880,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,380,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in LKQ during the third quarter worth $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in LKQ during the second quarter worth $33,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in LKQ by 94.2% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in LKQ by 33.5% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Performance

NASDAQ LKQ traded down $0.29 during trading on Monday, reaching $39.00. 330,455 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,931,105. LKQ has a fifty-two week low of $35.57 and a fifty-two week high of $53.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $38.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

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 return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 dividend yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Robert W. Baird lowered 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $53.80.

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.