LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Brokerages

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Buy" by the five analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $53.80.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on LKQ shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $36.89. 1,193,783 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,977,997. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.76 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $38.05 and a 200 day moving average of $39.91. LKQ has a 1 year low of $35.57 and a 1 year high of $53.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LKQ. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of LKQ in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 94.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 278 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.