LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Receives “Outperform” Rating from Barrington Research

Barrington Research reaffirmed their outperform rating on shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $60.00 price target on the auto parts company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.40.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ stock opened at $41.75 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $37.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.75. LKQ has a 12 month low of $35.56 and a 12 month high of $53.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $10.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58 and a beta of 1.29.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. On average, analysts anticipate that LKQ will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at LKQ

In other LKQ news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of LKQ stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $13,795,180.08. The trade was a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $781,500. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of LKQ by 40.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,262 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 653 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its holdings in LKQ by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 91,386 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $3,648,000 after acquiring an additional 3,259 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in LKQ by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 23,090 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $922,000 after acquiring an additional 5,286 shares during the period. Tectonic Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of LKQ by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 257,057 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $10,262,000 after acquiring an additional 35,493 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 94.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.