LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $53.80.

Several research firms recently weighed in on LKQ. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. 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 report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ stock opened at $39.42 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $38.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.52. The firm has a market cap of $10.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.71 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ has a 1 year low of $35.57 and a 1 year high of $53.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that LKQ will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s payout ratio is 44.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in LKQ by 29.8% in 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. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 33.5% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in LKQ by 31.2% in the third 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. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in LKQ by 0.3% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 103,156 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $4,118,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 50,495 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,100,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.