LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Up 0.3% – Time to Buy?

Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) traded up 0.3% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $39.58 and last traded at $39.13. 1,424,108 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 1,941,453 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.80.

LKQ Stock Up 0.4 %

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $38.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $10.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.66 and a beta of 1.29.

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

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid 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 yield of 3.05%. LKQ’s payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 0.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,977,708 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $478,150,000 after buying an additional 33,212 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in LKQ by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 11,449,166 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $457,051,000 after acquiring an additional 134,176 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in LKQ by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,542,740 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $260,330,000 after acquiring an additional 21,161 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 7.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,020,689 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $240,346,000 after purchasing an additional 411,390 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of LKQ by 6.1% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,398,538 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $182,936,000 after purchasing an additional 253,639 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

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.