LKQ’s (LKQ) “Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at Barrington Research

Barrington Research restated their outperform rating on shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $60.00 price objective on the auto parts company’s stock.

LKQ has been the topic of several other research reports. StockNews.com lowered LKQ from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $66.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of LKQ from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $63.50.

LKQ Stock Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ LKQ opened at $48.93 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $51.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $13.05 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 1.28. LKQ has a 52 week low of $41.49 and a 52 week high of $59.38.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The auto parts company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.52 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 6.75% and a return on equity of 17.24%. LKQ’s quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. LKQ’s payout ratio is currently 34.29%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other LKQ news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total value of $10,394,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,087,548.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 70,712 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $3,777,000 after buying an additional 6,212 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in LKQ by 6.0% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 952,279 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,861,000 after acquiring an additional 53,910 shares during the last quarter. Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE increased its position in shares of LKQ by 54.0% during the first quarter. Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE now owns 203,863 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $10,888,000 after purchasing an additional 71,484 shares in the last quarter. Berry Wealth Group LP acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 1st quarter valued at about $209,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in LKQ by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 72,767 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $3,886,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during 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.