LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $34.12, but opened at $37.13. LKQ shares last traded at $34.7060, with a volume of 729,638 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LKQ. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 10th. Stephens started coverage on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LKQ in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised LKQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $33.00 target price on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.33.

LKQ Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $30.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The auto parts company reported $0.84 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 firm’s revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. LKQ has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that LKQ Corporation will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LKQ. Rossby Financial LCC lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 159.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 882 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the period. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 830.7% during the 3rd quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at about $75,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in shares of LKQ by 399.0% in the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 2,520 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 2,015 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.