LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the five brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $52.60.

Several research firms have weighed in on LKQ. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total transaction of $180,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 369,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,352,356.68. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 35,000 shares of company stock worth $1,416,300 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of LKQ

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter worth $165,548,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter worth about $160,339,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of LKQ in the fourth quarter worth about $119,395,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at about $91,678,000. Finally, Eminence Capital LP acquired a new stake in LKQ during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $68,944,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of LKQ opened at $42.24 on Friday. LKQ has a 52-week low of $35.56 and a 52-week high of $53.68. The stock has a market cap of $10.95 billion, a PE ratio of 16.12 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $39.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. Research analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.80%.

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.