Analysts Set LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) PT at $58.00

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $58.00.

A number of brokerages recently commented on LKQ. StockNews.com cut LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Wednesday, September 18th.

LKQ Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $40.01 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.15. LKQ has a 1-year low of $35.57 and a 1-year high of $53.68. The stock has a market cap of $10.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.99 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 5.03%. LKQ’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.96%.

Insider Activity

In other LKQ news, CEO Justin L. Jude bought 2,500 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.91 per share, with a total value of $99,775.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,281,923.65. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.91 per share, for a total transaction of $99,775.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,281,923.65. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Andrew C. Clarke acquired 7,600 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $39.70 per share, with a total value of $301,720.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 10,519 shares in the company, valued at $417,604.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 12,600 shares of company stock worth $500,870 in the last quarter. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in LKQ in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its position in LKQ by 54.2% during the first quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 825 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in LKQ by 65.1% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 900 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in LKQ in the 1st quarter worth approximately $56,000. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its stake in LKQ by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.