LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Short Interest Update

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 12,428,708 shares, a growth of 18.5% from the February 26th total of 10,485,899 shares. Approximately 4.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,163,496 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.7 days.

LKQ Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ traded down $0.06 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $29.31. 1,610,139 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,703,933. LKQ has a 12 month low of $27.64 and a 12 month high of $43.47. The company has a market capitalization of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.42 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $31.07.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The auto parts company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.36% and a return on equity of 12.29%. LKQ’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. LKQ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.900-3.200 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that LKQ will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 (DPR) is currently 50.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LKQ has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on LKQ from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LKQ in a report on Friday. Barclays set a $34.00 target price on LKQ in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Zacks Research cut LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LKQ. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 0.4% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 84,939 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,594,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC boosted its holdings in LKQ by 159.4% during the third quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 882 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its position in LKQ by 6.3% in the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 11,859 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in LKQ by 2.6% in the first 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 purchasing an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its stake in LKQ by 254.7% in the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,362 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 978 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.