LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

LKQ has been the topic of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ opened at $42.00 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $38.13 and a 200-day moving average of $38.85. LKQ has a one year low of $35.56 and a one year high of $53.68. The stock has a market cap of $10.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.03 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.36 billion during 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.80%.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total value of $180,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 369,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,352,356.68. This represents a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $781,500. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of LKQ

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LKQ. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in LKQ in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its stake in LKQ by 81.0% in the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 742 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in LKQ by 94.2% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,010 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in LKQ during the third quarter worth $57,000. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by 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.