LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Strong Sell

Zacks Research cut shares of LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for LKQ’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.72 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.85 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.06 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.87 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.81 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.78 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.30 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LKQ in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $43.00 price target (down from $46.00) on shares of LKQ in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays assumed coverage on LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $33.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.33.

LKQ Price Performance

LKQ traded down $0.31 during trading on Monday, hitting $32.99. 364,713 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,933,237. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $30.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $31.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 0.67. LKQ has a twelve month low of $28.13 and a twelve month high of $44.82. The company has a market cap of $8.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 0.91.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The auto parts company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.10. LKQ had a return on equity of 13.45% and a net margin of 4.99%.The company had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. LKQ has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of LKQ

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of LKQ by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 84,939 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $2,594,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC lifted its position in LKQ by 159.4% during the third quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 882 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in LKQ by 9.2% in the second quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 7,200 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in LKQ by 6.3% in the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 11,859 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $439,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in shares of LKQ by 2.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,476 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $1,339,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.63% of the company’s stock.

More LKQ News

Here are the key news stories impacting LKQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: LKQ announced a strategic review that includes exploring a possible sale, which spurred a rally as investors priced in takeover interest and strategic alternatives. LKQ Launches Review of Strategic Alternatives, Mulls Possible Sale
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst note suggested a potential takeout value in the low?to?mid $50s per share, implying meaningful upside versus current trading levels if a sale occurs—this supports takeover speculation. LKQ may be worth low-to-mid $50s/share in takeout – analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor expectations remain mixed: consensus estimates and prior guidance are still referenced by the market, so outcomes will depend on whether a strategic process yields a bid and on upcoming operational results. LKQ NASDAQ:LKQ – Free Report
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded LKQ to a “Strong Sell” and cut multiple quarterly and full?year EPS forecasts (FY2026 and FY2027 and individual quarters), trimming FY2026 to ~$3.06 and FY2027 to ~$3.30—these downgrades increase near?term downside risk and likely pressured the stock after the initial strategic?review rally. Zacks ResearchTickerReport summary

LKQ Company Profile

LKQ Corporation is a leading provider of alternative and specialty parts to repair and accessorize automobiles and other vehicles. The company supplies a broad range of replacement components, including recycled original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, aftermarket parts, refurbished and remanufactured items. Its products support collision repair, mechanical repair and performance enhancement needs across passenger cars, heavy trucks and recreational vehicles.

Through a combination of in-house operations and strategic acquisitions, LKQ has developed a comprehensive product portfolio that extends beyond core replacement parts.