LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Thursday.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on LKQ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, LKQ currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Down 1.4 %

LKQ stock traded down $0.57 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $40.98. The company had a trading volume of 4,141,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,061,141. LKQ has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $53.68. The company has a market capitalization of $10.62 billion, a PE ratio of 15.64 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $39.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 14.93%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.84, for a total transaction of $184,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 374,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,795,180.08. This represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 35,000 shares of company stock worth $1,416,300. 0.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of LKQ

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 81.0% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 31.2% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its position in LKQ by 618.0% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,673 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 1,440 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in LKQ during the third quarter valued at approximately $81,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its position in LKQ by 107.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,099 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.