LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Short Interest Update

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,490,000 shares, an increase of 31.0% from the January 31st total of 6,480,000 shares. Approximately 3.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,220,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Insider Transactions at LKQ

In other news, Director Dominick P. Zarcone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 369,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,352,356.68. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last 90 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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in LKQ during the fourth quarter worth $165,548,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. bought a new stake in LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at about $160,339,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in LKQ in the fourth quarter valued at about $119,395,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in LKQ in the fourth quarter worth about $91,678,000. Finally, Eminence Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of LKQ during the fourth quarter valued at about $68,944,000. 95.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on LKQ. StockNews.com downgraded shares of LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on LKQ from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price 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 assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.60.

LKQ Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ:LKQ traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $42.08. The stock had a trading volume of 3,185,501 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,322,980. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.23 and a 200 day moving average of $38.86. The company has a market capitalization of $10.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.06 and a beta of 1.29. LKQ has a one year low of $35.56 and a one year high of $53.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The auto parts company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 45.80%.

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.