StockNews.com Downgrades LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) to Hold

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on LKQ. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Up 1.9 %

LKQ traded up $0.76 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $41.25. 2,633,520 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,111,965. LKQ has a fifty-two week low of $35.56 and a fifty-two week high of $53.68. The company has a market cap 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 current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $37.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.76.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $3.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm's 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 directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 20,000 shares of company stock valued at $781,500 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of LKQ

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its holdings in LKQ by 81.0% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in LKQ by 94.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 31.2% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company's stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the third quarter valued at $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company's stock.

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.