LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Raised to Buy at StockNews.com

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

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on LKQ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.80.

LKQ Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $37.31 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.69. The stock has a market cap of $9.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ has a twelve month low of $35.57 and a twelve month high of $53.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. LKQ had a net margin of 5.03% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The firm had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that LKQ will post 3.54 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.96%.

Institutional Trading of LKQ

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in LKQ by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,897,480 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,650,234,000 after purchasing an additional 656,883 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 7.9% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,944,496 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $496,772,000 after buying an additional 875,420 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its holdings in LKQ by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 8,220,571 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $438,108,000 after buying an additional 712,698 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in LKQ by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 7,396,653 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $396,461,000 after buying an additional 103,659 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in LKQ by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,398,538 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $182,936,000 after acquiring an additional 253,639 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.