LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Director Andrew Clarke Acquires 21,800 Shares of Stock

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Director Andrew Clarke bought 21,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $18.35 per share, for a total transaction of $400,030.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 56,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,043,197.50. This represents a 62.20% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

LKQ Trading Down 3.4%

NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $19.26 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.20 and a beta of 0.87. LKQ Corporation has a twelve month low of $16.85 and a twelve month high of $37.13. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $22.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The auto parts company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.08). LKQ had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 9.57%. The business had revenue of $3.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.84 earnings per share. LKQ’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that LKQ Corporation will post 2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 19th. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 120.00%.

More LKQ News

Here are the key news stories impacting LKQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Two directors disclosed substantial stock purchases: Andrew Clarke bought 21,800 shares for about $400,000, while Michael Scott Powell bought 10,000 shares for about $191,500. Insider buying may signal confidence, though it does not guarantee a recovery. SEC filing for Andrew Clarke purchase SEC filing for Michael Scott Powell purchase
• Negative Sentiment: Reported consensus price targets were cut, including a 16.53% reduction to $27.19 and a separate 17.48% reduction to €24.15. Lower targets suggest analysts have become more cautious about LKQ’s outlook. Report on dollar price target Report on euro price target
• Negative Sentiment: Several law firms announced investigations into possible securities-law violations, based on allegations that LKQ may have provided materially misleading business information. These are investigations, not findings of wrongdoing, but the headlines could weigh on sentiment. Block & Leviton investigation announcement Rosen Law investigation announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity included 29,165 put options purchased—about 22 times typical volume—pointing to elevated hedging or bearish positioning.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LKQ. Ethic Inc. increased its position in LKQ by 35.1% during the third quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 10,606 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 2,757 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in LKQ by 8.0% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 12,275 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 911 shares during the period. Bfsg LLC lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 38.1% in the third quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 16,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 4,486 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 49.0% in the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 22,556,858 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $514,973,000 after buying an additional 7,414,573 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ in the third quarter valued at approximately $61,000. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on LKQ. Roth Capital downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $35.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Stephens decreased their price objective on LKQ from $39.00 to $36.50 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Zacks Research lowered LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Barrington Research cut LKQ from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $26.07.

About LKQ

LKQ Corporation is a global distributor of automotive parts and accessories. The company supplies replacement parts, components and equipment to professional repair shops, collision-repair businesses, insurers, dealerships and other commercial customers. Its product offerings include recycled original-equipment parts, aftermarket parts, specialty vehicle products, tools and equipment.

LKQ’s operations include the procurement, dismantling and distribution of salvaged vehicles, allowing it to provide recycled engines, transmissions, body panels and other components.