LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Given "Outperform" Rating at Barrington Research

Barrington Research reissued their outperform rating on shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Free Report) in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $60.00 price objective on the auto parts company's stock.

LKQ has been the subject of a number of other reports. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com raised LKQ from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Performance

NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.76 on Thursday, hitting $41.25. 2,633,581 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,128,122. The business's fifty day moving average is $37.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.77. LKQ has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $53.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.74 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.71.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. LKQ's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total value of $180,700.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 369,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,352,356.68. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $781,500. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at about $165,548,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. purchased a new stake in LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at about $160,339,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at about $119,395,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at about $91,678,000. Finally, Eminence Capital LP purchased a new stake in LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at about $68,944,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company's stock.

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.