LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Short Interest Update

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) was the target of a large increase in short interest in November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,930,000 shares, an increase of 27.1% from the October 31st total of 3,880,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,380,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

LKQ Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LKQ traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $38.96. The company had a trading volume of 396,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,931,501. LKQ has a twelve month low of $35.57 and a twelve month high of $53.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $10.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 1.29. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $38.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.59.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The auto parts company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.01. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that LKQ will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current year.

LKQ Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on LKQ shares. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, LKQ currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $53.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise raised its stake in LKQ by 29.8% in the second quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its stake in LKQ by 33.5% in the third quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in LKQ by 0.3% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 103,156 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $4,118,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montag A & Associates Inc. raised its stake in LKQ by 0.6% in the second quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 50,495 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $2,100,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.