LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $51.40.

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on LKQ from $48.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in shares of LKQ by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 34,192 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,257,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in LKQ by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 448,160 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $16,470,000 after acquiring an additional 134,000 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 35,549 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,306,000 after buying an additional 2,673 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in LKQ during the fourth quarter worth about $40,363,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in LKQ by 71.3% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,116 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 1,297 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of LKQ opened at $29.46 on Monday. LKQ has a fifty-two week low of $28.92 and a fifty-two week high of $44.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $36.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.02. The company has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.79 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.93 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.62 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 13.85% and a net margin of 5.04%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is 43.96%.

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.