LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Trading Down 1.6% – Should You Sell?

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ)’s share price traded down 1.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $38.98 and last traded at $39.13. 268,315 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 1,937,533 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.76.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LKQ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on LKQ from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $53.80.

LKQ Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.60 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 15.15%. LKQ’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that LKQ Co. will post 3.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.78%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LKQ. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its stake in shares of LKQ by 29.8% during the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of LKQ by 33.5% during the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position 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 valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in LKQ by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 103,156 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $4,118,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in LKQ by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 50,495 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,100,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. 95.63% of the stock is 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.