Barrington Research Reaffirms “Outperform” Rating for LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ)

Barrington Research reissued their outperform rating on shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) in a research note published on Monday,Benzinga reports. Barrington Research currently has a $60.00 target price on the auto parts company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com raised LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $52.60.

LKQ Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of LKQ stock opened at $42.19 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.10 and a beta of 1.09. LKQ has a 12-month low of $35.56 and a 12-month high of $46.64. 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 issued its 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. LKQ had a return on equity of 14.93% and a net margin of 4.81%. Analysts predict that LKQ will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.80%.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.66, for a total value of $416,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 359,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,975,186.92. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,864,350. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in LKQ by 1.5% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 18,774 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 44,169 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of LKQ by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 34,192 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,257,000 after buying an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 332 shares during the period. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in LKQ by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 68,790 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,528,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.