LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Trading Up 0.3% – Here’s What Happened

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)’s stock price traded up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $39.58 and last traded at $39.12. 227,509 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 1,935,965 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.80.

LKQ Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $38.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.17 billion, a PE ratio of 14.60 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in LKQ during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in LKQ by 94.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in LKQ by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in LKQ by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in 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.