LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Receives Average Rating of "Buy" from Brokerages

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Buy" by the five research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $52.60.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LKQ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st.

LKQ Stock Up 0.1%

NASDAQ:LKQ traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $40.28. The stock had a trading volume of 1,171,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,276,744. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. LKQ has a 1-year low of $35.56 and a 1-year high of $46.64. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.51. The company has a market cap of $10.40 billion, a PE ratio of 15.37 and a beta of 0.98.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.79. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. The business's revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that LKQ will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is 44.78%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other news, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,708 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $36.99 per share, for a total transaction of $100,168.92. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,385,941.23. This trade represents a 0.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.32, for a total value of $634,800.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 336,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,225,233.20. The trade was a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 35,000 shares of company stock worth $1,457,150. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in LKQ by 1.5% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 18,774 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora grew its holdings in LKQ by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 44,169 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its holdings in LKQ by 1.0% in the fourth 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. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its holdings in LKQ by 81.0% in the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in LKQ by 0.5% in the fourth 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.