LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Analysts

Shares of LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Buy" from the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $52.60.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research report on Monday, April 21st.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 316,135 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,019,452.70. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Justin L. Jude acquired 2,708 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 280,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,385,941.23. The trade was a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of LKQ

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 1.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 34,192 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 68,790 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $2,528,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 10.3% in the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,062 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $173,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,436 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of LKQ stock traded up $0.27 during trading on Friday, hitting $37.13. The stock had a trading volume of 4,109,029 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,298,360. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $39.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $39.52. The stock has a market cap of $9.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.85 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 0.56. LKQ has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $46.64.

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

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. LKQ's payout ratio is currently 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.