LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Earns Outperform Rating from Barrington Research

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

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of LKQ from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a buy rating and set a $66.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of LKQ from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $63.50.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ opened at $48.93 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $13.05 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.36. LKQ has a twelve month low of $41.49 and a twelve month high of $59.38.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The auto parts company reported $0.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.52 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 17.24% and a net margin of 6.75%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. LKQ’s payout ratio is 34.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LKQ

In related news, CEO Dominick P. Zarcone sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.97, for a total value of $10,394,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 386,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,087,548.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of LKQ

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in LKQ by 45.8% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 145,470 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $7,116,000 after purchasing an additional 45,679 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 6,581 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 762 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of LKQ by 90.7% during the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 843 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 401 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,082,000. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new stake in LKQ during the third quarter worth $483,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Company Profile

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.