LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on LKQ. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LKQ in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $43.00 price target (down from $46.00) on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of LKQ in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $33.00 price objective for the company. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of LKQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.33.

LKQ Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $30.52 on Friday. LKQ has a 1 year low of $28.13 and a 1 year high of $44.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.71.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The auto parts company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.10. LKQ had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 4.99%.The firm had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. LKQ has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that LKQ will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.9%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rossby Financial LCC increased its holdings in LKQ by 159.4% in the third quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 882 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in LKQ by 226.4% during the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,100 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in LKQ by 830.7% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,424 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares during the period. 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.