LKQ’s (LKQ) “Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at Barrington Research

Barrington Research reissued their outperform rating on shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) in a research note published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $60.00 price objective on the auto parts company’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on LKQ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $52.60.

LKQ Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of LKQ opened at $41.21 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $10.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $41.41 and a 200 day moving average of $39.14. LKQ has a fifty-two week low of $35.56 and a fifty-two week high of $49.50.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. As a group, research analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.80%.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total transaction of $416,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 359,462 shares in the company, valued at $14,975,186.92. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock worth $1,864,350. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its holdings in LKQ by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 44,169 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in LKQ by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 34,192 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,257,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 81.0% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 68,790 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,528,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 6,436 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.