LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Trading Up 0.5% – Should You Buy?

Shares of LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) rose 0.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $38.36 and last traded at $38.16. Approximately 240,729 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 1,952,603 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.98.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LKQ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $53.80.

LKQ Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $38.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.62 billion, a PE ratio of 13.80 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. LKQ’s revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.86 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of LKQ in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in LKQ in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 94.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew 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 valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its position in shares of LKQ by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

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.