LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Earns Outperform Rating from Barrington Research

Barrington Research reaffirmed their outperform rating on shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $60.00 target price on the auto parts company's stock.

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Performance

LKQ traded up $0.13 on Tuesday, hitting $38.61. 2,406,104 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,322,953. The firm has a market cap of $9.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.41 and a beta of 0.95. LKQ has a twelve month low of $35.56 and a twelve month high of $45.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $38.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.79. LKQ had a net margin of 4.97% and a return on equity of 14.66%. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. LKQ's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.02, for a total value of $190,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 316,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,019,452.70. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 280,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,385,941.23. This trade represents a 0.97% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 18,774 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 34,192 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 68,790 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $2,528,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,062 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,436 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

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.