LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Trading 1.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) shares traded up 1.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $38.48 and last traded at $38.37. 125,131 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 1,929,290 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.88.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LKQ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.80.

LKQ Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.37 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.82.

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

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in LKQ in the second quarter worth $33,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of 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 during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake 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 worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.