LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.900-3.200 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 3.210. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LKQ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays set a $34.00 price target on LKQ in a research report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LKQ in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 price objective (down from $46.00) on shares of LKQ in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of LKQ in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.50.

LKQ Stock Performance

LKQ stock opened at $32.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.21 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $32.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.21. LKQ has a 1 year low of $28.13 and a 1 year high of $44.82.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The auto parts company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.65 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.24 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 13.45%. LKQ’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. LKQ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.900-3.200 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is 44.44%.

LKQ News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting LKQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash generation and shareholder returns: LKQ reported $1.1B operating cash flow and $847M free cash flow for 2025, and returned $116M to shareholders in Q4 (repurchases + dividends), supporting valuation and dividend coverage. LKQ Corporation Announces Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Board initiated a comprehensive strategic review to enhance shareholder value — potential for portfolio streamlining, asset sales or other value-creating actions could be a future catalyst. LKQ outlines $2.90–$3.20 adjusted EPS target and strategic review amid portfolio streamlining
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and capital return: company declared a $0.30 quarterly dividend (~3.6% yield) and modest buybacks, which supports income-oriented investors. LKQ Corporation Announces Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Insider and institutional buying: recent insider purchases and large additions by some institutional holders signal confidence from certain shareholders. LKQ ($LKQ) Releases Q4 2025 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue beat but mixed metrics: Q4 sales of ~$3.31B topped estimates, indicating underlying demand resilience even as profitability softened. Listen to Conference Call
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss and margin pressure: Q4 EPS $0.59 missed estimates (~$0.65), while margins contracted year-over-year, weighing on near-term earnings visibility. LKQ (LKQ) Lags Q4 Earnings Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Below-consensus FY2026 guidance: company set 2026 adjusted EPS target $2.90–$3.20 versus street ~3.21, signaling weaker demand and prompting analyst/market caution. LKQ outlines $2.90–$3.20 adjusted EPS target and strategic review amid portfolio streamlining
• Negative Sentiment: Restructuring costs and weak parts demand: management flagged margin headwinds, restructuring/streamlining costs and softer auto-parts demand, which reduce near-term profitability. LKQ Q4 deep dive: Earnings resilient despite margin pressure, strategic review launched

Institutional Trading of LKQ

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its stake in LKQ by 41.2% in the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 314,467 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $9,604,000 after purchasing an additional 91,776 shares during the period. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its holdings in shares of LKQ by 152.3% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 78,360 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,574,000 after purchasing an additional 47,299 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in LKQ in the 1st quarter worth about $1,162,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of LKQ by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 102,544 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $3,097,000 after acquiring an additional 17,605 shares during the period. Finally, Verity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of LKQ during the third quarter valued at approximately $413,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About LKQ

LKQ Corporation is a leading provider of alternative and specialty parts to repair and accessorize automobiles and other vehicles. The company supplies a broad range of replacement components, including recycled original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, aftermarket parts, refurbished and remanufactured items. Its products support collision repair, mechanical repair and performance enhancement needs across passenger cars, heavy trucks and recreational vehicles.

Through a combination of in-house operations and strategic acquisitions, LKQ has developed a comprehensive product portfolio that extends beyond core replacement parts.