StockNews.com Downgrades LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) to Hold

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on LKQ. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of 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. cut their target price on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.40.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ traded up $2.35 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $41.75. The stock had a trading volume of 4,589,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,083,460. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.72. LKQ has a 1-year low of $35.56 and a 1-year high of $53.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total transaction of $184,200.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 374,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,795,180.08. The trade was a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $781,500. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in LKQ by 40.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,262 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 3.7% in the third quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 91,386 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $3,648,000 after buying an additional 3,259 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 29.7% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 23,090 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $922,000 after buying an additional 5,286 shares in the last quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC raised its position in LKQ by 16.0% during the third quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 257,057 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $10,262,000 after buying an additional 35,493 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.