Barrington Research Reiterates “Outperform” Rating for LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ)

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating restated by analysts at Barrington Research in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $60.00 price objective on the auto parts company’s stock. Barrington Research’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 47.17% from the company’s current price.

LKQ has been the topic of several other research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on LKQ from $54.00 to $50.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, LKQ has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.00.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $40.77 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.24 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ has a 12-month low of $35.57 and a 12-month high of $53.68. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $41.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.33.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The auto parts company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $3.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.87 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.33% and a net margin of 5.03%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.09 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that LKQ will post 3.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Justin L. Jude bought 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.91 per share, for a total transaction of $99,775.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,281,923.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other LKQ news, CEO Justin L. Jude purchased 2,500 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.91 per share, with a total value of $99,775.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 207,515 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,281,923.65. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Andrew C. Clarke acquired 7,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.70 per share, with a total value of $301,720.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,519 shares in the company, valued at $417,604.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 12,600 shares of company stock worth $500,870 in the last three months. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 2.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,897,480 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,650,234,000 after purchasing an additional 656,883 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in LKQ by 7.9% during the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 875,420 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 11,307,753 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $540,398,000 after acquiring an additional 977,585 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 1.2% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 9,113,931 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $486,775,000 after acquiring an additional 111,124 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 9.5% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 8,220,571 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $438,108,000 after purchasing an additional 712,698 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently 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.