LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Given Consensus Rating of "Buy" by Analysts

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Buy" by the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $52.60.

LKQ has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, April 21st.

LKQ Stock Down 0.9%

LKQ stock traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $37.12. The stock had a trading volume of 1,686,232 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,313,248. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $39.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.56. LKQ has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $46.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $9.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.95.

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

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at $165,548,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. bought a new stake in LKQ in the 4th quarter valued at about $160,339,000. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in LKQ by 258.0% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,562,625 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $194,089,000 after purchasing an additional 3,288,048 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in LKQ during the fourth quarter worth about $119,395,000. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 95.7% in the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 5,477,467 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $233,011,000 after purchasing an additional 2,678,964 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.