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

Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $53.80.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $59.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut LKQ from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $38.37. The company had a trading volume of 1,976,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,686,191. LKQ has a one year low of $35.57 and a one year high of $53.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company's 50-day moving average price is $39.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $41.17. The firm has a market cap of $9.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.32 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. The business's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.86 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. LKQ's payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in LKQ in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in LKQ by 94.2% during the third 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 lifted its stake in LKQ by 33.5% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.