LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) Short Interest Up 18.5% in March

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 12,428,708 shares, an increase of 18.5% from the February 26th total of 10,485,899 shares. Approximately 4.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,163,496 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.7 days.

LKQ Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of LKQ traded up $0.48 on Tuesday, reaching $29.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,869,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,909,835. The company has a current ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. LKQ has a twelve month low of $27.64 and a twelve month high of $43.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.49 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44 and a beta of 0.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $32.01 and a 200-day moving average of $31.07.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The auto parts company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. LKQ had a net margin of 4.36% and a return on equity of 12.29%. LKQ’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.80 EPS. LKQ has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.900-3.200 EPS. Equities analysts predict that LKQ will post 3.57 EPS for the current year.

LKQ Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. LKQ’s payout ratio is presently 50.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded LKQ from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 22nd. Stephens began coverage on LKQ in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $39.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research downgraded LKQ from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Barclays set a $34.00 target price on LKQ in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of LKQ in a research report on Friday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LKQ

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Seizert Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in LKQ by 30.1% during the 4th quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,178,703 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $65,797,000 after acquiring an additional 503,998 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of LKQ by 3,046.7% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 270,525 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $8,170,000 after acquiring an additional 261,928 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of LKQ in the 4th quarter worth $3,158,000. Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of LKQ by 41.2% in the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 314,467 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $9,604,000 after purchasing an additional 91,776 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of LKQ by 25.2% during the third quarter. Thompson Investment Management Inc. now owns 328,247 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $10,025,000 after purchasing an additional 66,069 shares in the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.