LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $26.07 According to Analysts

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mixed: LKQ has a consensus “Hold” rating from nine analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $26.07; five rate it a buy, two a hold, and two a sell.
• Latest results fell short of expectations: LKQ reported quarterly EPS of $0.50 versus the $0.58 consensus and revenue of $3.32 billion versus $3.36 billion; revenue declined 5.1% year over year.
• Company directors bought shares recently, while LKQ declared a $0.30 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 6.0% yield; its 120% payout ratio exceeds reported earnings.

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $26.07.

Several research firms have recently commented on LKQ. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of LKQ from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research cut LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Raymond James Financial set a $30.00 price target on LKQ in a report on Friday, July 31st. Roth Capital cut shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of LKQ from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sue Gove bought 9,795 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $20.53 per share, for a total transaction of $201,091.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 20,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $426,880.29. This trade represents a 89.06% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Andrew Clarke acquired 21,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.35 per share, with a total value of $400,030.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 56,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,043,197.50. This trade represents a 62.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought a total of 41,595 shares of company stock valued at $792,621 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in LKQ by 28.9% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,258,917 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $51,597,000 after purchasing an additional 506,780 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its position in LKQ by 49.6% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 73,586 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $1,680,000 after buying an additional 24,409 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in LKQ in the third quarter worth approximately $75,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its position in LKQ by 45.3% in the third quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 27,250 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 8,491 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of LKQ in the third quarter valued at $291,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Stock Down 2.4%

LKQ stock traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $20.05. 5,314,018 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,027,310. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $22.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.89. LKQ has a 12-month low of $16.85 and a 12-month high of $37.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The auto parts company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $3.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.36 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 9.57%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.84 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 2.21 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. LKQ's payout ratio is 120.00%.

LKQ Company Profile

LKQ Corporation is a global distributor of automotive parts and accessories. The company supplies replacement parts, components and equipment to professional repair shops, collision-repair businesses, insurers, dealerships and other commercial customers. Its product offerings include recycled original-equipment parts, aftermarket parts, specialty vehicle products, tools and equipment.

LKQ's operations include the procurement, dismantling and distribution of salvaged vehicles, allowing it to provide recycled engines, transmissions, body panels and other components.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.