LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Stock Price Up 1.1% – Should You Buy?

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) was up 1.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $37.29 and last traded at $37.03. Approximately 366,496 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 1,954,277 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.61.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on LKQ. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $53.80.

LKQ Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $38.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.93 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in LKQ by 94.2% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its holdings in LKQ by 29.8% during the second quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently 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.