LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $44.3333.

LKQ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stephens started coverage on shares of LKQ in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 target price (down previously from $46.00) on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday. Barclays began coverage on LKQ in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in LKQ by 0.4% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 84,939 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,594,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 10.3% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,062 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC increased its holdings in LKQ by 159.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 882 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 542 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 91.8% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,197 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 573 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

LKQ Price Performance

NASDAQ LKQ traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $29.94. 259,747 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,808,162. The stock has a market cap of $7.66 billion, a PE ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 0.90. LKQ has a one year low of $28.13 and a one year high of $44.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $30.06 and a 200-day moving average of $32.63.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The auto parts company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.54 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 13.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. LKQ has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 44.44%.

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.