StockNews.com Upgrades LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday.

LKQ has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Down 1.4 %

NASDAQ LKQ opened at $40.40 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.67. LKQ has a 1 year low of $35.56 and a 1 year high of $53.68. The business’s 50-day moving average is $39.80 and its 200 day moving average is $38.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a PE ratio of 15.42 and a beta of 1.28.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.80%.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total transaction of $180,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 369,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,352,356.68. This represents a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,416,300. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 81.0% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 31.2% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 618.0% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 3rd quarter worth $81,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 107.8% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by 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.