LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at StockNews.com

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on LKQ. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of LKQ in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.60.

LKQ Stock Performance

LKQ opened at $42.19 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.10 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ has a fifty-two week low of $35.56 and a fifty-two week high of $53.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 1.71. The company has a fifty day moving average of $38.02 and a 200 day moving average of $38.83.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The firm 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at LKQ

In related news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total transaction of $180,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 369,462 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $781,500. Company insiders own 0.55% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LKQ. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its position in LKQ by 81.0% in the 4th 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 increased its stake in LKQ by 94.2% in 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 lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 31.2% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,256 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the third quarter valued at $57,000. 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.