Short Interest in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Rises By 21.1%

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 9,910,000 shares, a growth of 21.1% from the April 30th total of 8,180,000 shares. Approximately 3.9% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 2,710,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.7 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered 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 assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.60.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.15, for a total transaction of $632,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 321,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,535,840.25. This represents a 4.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $36.99 per share, with a total value of $100,168.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 280,777 shares in the company, valued at $10,385,941.23. The trade was 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 Trading of LKQ

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LKQ. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in LKQ by 10.2% in the first quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 25,429 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $1,082,000 after purchasing an additional 2,359 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 32.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 198,250 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $8,434,000 after acquiring an additional 48,450 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 2,063.5% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 337,764 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $14,368,000 after acquiring an additional 322,152 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the first quarter valued at $1,162,000. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the first quarter valued at $323,000. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of LKQ traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $39.09. 1,354,814 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,300,645. The firm has a market cap of $10.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.92 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.59. LKQ has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $46.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.58 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that LKQ will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

About LKQ

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.