Short Interest in LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Declines By 22.7%

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) was the target of a large decline in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 10,485,899 shares, a decline of 22.7% from the February 12th total of 13,565,146 shares. Approximately 4.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,351,273 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.5 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,351,273 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.5 days. Approximately 4.1% of the company’s stock are short sold.

LKQ Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of LKQ stock traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $29.34. 2,823,442 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,231,598. The stock has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.43 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50 day moving average of $32.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $31.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. LKQ has a fifty-two week low of $28.13 and a fifty-two week high of $43.47.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The auto parts company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by ($0.06). LKQ had a net margin of 4.36% and a return on equity of 12.29%. The company had revenue of $3.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. LKQ’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. LKQ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.900-3.200 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors increased 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 worth $2,594,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC lifted its stake in LKQ by 159.4% in the third quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 882 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of LKQ by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 11,859 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $439,000 after acquiring an additional 701 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of LKQ by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,476 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,339,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the period. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 254.7% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,362 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 978 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on LKQ from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LKQ in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. Stephens started coverage on LKQ in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.50.

About LKQ

LKQ Corporation is a leading provider of alternative and specialty parts to repair and accessorize automobiles and other vehicles. The company supplies a broad range of replacement components, including recycled original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, aftermarket parts, refurbished and remanufactured items. Its products support collision repair, mechanical repair and performance enhancement needs across passenger cars, heavy trucks and recreational vehicles.

Through a combination of in-house operations and strategic acquisitions, LKQ has developed a comprehensive product portfolio that extends beyond core replacement parts.