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

Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) have received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $53.80.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on LKQ shares. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target 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.

LKQ Stock Down 0.3 %

LKQ stock opened at $36.89 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $38.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.92. The firm has a market cap of $9.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.76 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ has a twelve month low of $35.57 and a twelve month high of $53.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.72.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. LKQ’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that LKQ will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Institutional Trading of LKQ

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 230.3% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,011,132 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $42,053,000 after acquiring an additional 705,040 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in LKQ by 27.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 29,569 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after buying an additional 6,328 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the 2nd quarter valued at $65,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of LKQ during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 23,779 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $989,000 after acquiring an additional 1,003 shares in 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.