Analysts Set LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Target Price at $52.40

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) has been given an average recommendation of “Buy” by the five analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $52.60.

LKQ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LKQ opened at $40.49 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $37.63 and its 200 day moving average is $38.76. The stock has a market cap of $10.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ has a 1-year low of $35.56 and a 1-year high of $53.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 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 net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total value of $416,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 359,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,975,186.92. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $781,500 in the last quarter. 0.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of LKQ in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 81.0% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 94.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 31.2% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in LKQ during the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

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.