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 note released on Monday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” 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 note on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.80.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ opened at $37.96 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $38.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.88. LKQ has a 52-week low of $35.57 and a 52-week high of $53.68. The company has a market cap of $9.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.13 and a beta of 1.29. 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 issued 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. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.78%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LKQ. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the second quarter valued at about $3,839,000. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in LKQ by 91.0% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 582,953 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $31,136,000 after purchasing an additional 277,700 shares in the last quarter. Addenda Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in LKQ during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,419,000. TCW Group Inc. acquired a new position in LKQ during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,601,000. Finally, Swedbank AB purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the first quarter worth $20,555,000. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

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.