Short Interest in LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) Expands By 27.1%

LKQ Co. (NASDAQ:LKQ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,930,000 shares, a growth of 27.1% from the October 31st total of 3,880,000 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,380,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.1 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of LKQ in a 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on LKQ from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on LKQ from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.80.

LKQ Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LKQ traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $39.00. 330,455 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,931,105. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.59. LKQ has a 12 month low of $35.57 and a 12 month high of $53.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.56 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.01. LKQ had a return on equity of 15.15% and a net margin of 4.90%. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. LKQ’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that LKQ will post 3.43 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. LKQ’s dividend payout ratio is 44.78%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LKQ. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of LKQ in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 94.2% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its position in shares of LKQ by 29.8% in the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 1,211 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.