LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 4,070,000 shares, a decrease of 17.4% from the November 15th total of 4,930,000 shares. Currently, 1.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,430,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the third quarter valued at approximately $45,733,000. Seizert Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in LKQ by 451.1% in the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,327,664 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $53,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,086,758 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in LKQ by 552.8% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,236,158 shares of the auto parts company's stock valued at $51,412,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,805 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted 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 worth $496,772,000 after purchasing an additional 875,420 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 39.8% during the second quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 3,067,772 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $127,589,000 after buying an additional 873,665 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of LKQ stock traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $37.98. The stock had a trading volume of 1,495,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,959,914. The stock's 50 day moving average is $38.47 and its 200 day moving average is $40.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. LKQ has a twelve month low of $35.57 and a twelve month high of $53.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.87 billion, a PE ratio of 14.17 and a beta of 1.29.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. LKQ's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that LKQ will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on LKQ. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday, October 25th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $53.80.

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.