LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Short Interest Update

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 14,517,439 shares, an increase of 20.4% from the December 15th total of 12,055,295 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 8,413,133 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Approximately 5.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Approximately 5.7% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 8,413,133 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays started coverage on shares of LKQ in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $33.00 target price for the company. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective (down from $46.00) on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded LKQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 4.7% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 535,387 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $19,815,000 after purchasing an additional 23,835 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in LKQ by 106.8% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 26,567 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 13,723 shares in the last quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in LKQ by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc. now owns 328,247 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $10,025,000 after buying an additional 66,069 shares during the last quarter. Rathbones Group PLC boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 150,012 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $5,552,000 after acquiring an additional 7,438 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 16.8% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 27,615 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,022,000 after acquiring an additional 3,981 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Down 1.2%

NASDAQ:LKQ traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $33.51. The company had a trading volume of 2,796,845 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,725,309. LKQ has a 12-month low of $28.13 and a 12-month high of $44.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.41 and a beta of 0.91. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $30.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.47.

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

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.44%.

LKQ Company Profile

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.