LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $34.12, but opened at $37.13. LKQ shares last traded at $34.7060, with a volume of 729,638 shares trading hands.

Key Stories Impacting LKQ

Here are the key news stories impacting LKQ this week:

• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded LKQ to a “Strong Sell” and flagged weaker near‑term outlook/estimates, creating immediate bearish analyst pressure. Zacks.com TickerReport
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks materially lowered near‑term and multi‑period EPS forecasts across FY2026 and FY2027 — examples include Q1 2026 to $0.72 (from $0.73), Q2 2026 to $0.85 (from $0.88), FY2026 to $3.06 (from $3.33), Q1–Q4 2027 cuts (Q1: $0.85; Q2: $0.87 from $0.96; Q3: $0.81 from $0.91; Q4: $0.78 from $0.86) and FY2027 to $3.30 (from $3.61). Those downward revisions signal weaker expected profitability and are consistent with the downgrade. MarketBeat LKQ

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

LKQ Stock Down 2.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $8.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.06 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.27.

LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The auto parts company reported $0.84 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.88 EPS. LKQ’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. LKQ has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that LKQ Corporation will post 3.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LKQ

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of LKQ during the first quarter worth about $278,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in LKQ by 2.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,476 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $1,339,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in LKQ in the 1st quarter valued at $1,162,000. Curbstone Financial Management Corp lifted its position in LKQ by 15.5% during the 2nd quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp now owns 11,750 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 1,580 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of LKQ by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 7,200 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. 95.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About LKQ

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.