3. LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 32
LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company deals in auto replacement parts, components, and systems used in the repair and maintenance of vehicles. LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) provides scrap metal and other materials to metals and automotive recyclers. The company raised its latest quarterly dividend by 10% to $0.275 per share, which was paid to shareholders on December 1. The board also authorized a $1 billion increase and one-year extension to its stock repurchase program, lifting the aggregate repurchase authorization to $3.5 billion through October 25, 2025.
On July 12, MKM Partners analyst Scott Stember initiated coverage of LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) with a Buy rating and a $68 price target. Prospects for LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ)’s North American business “have never been better” and the effective scaling of the European business has yielded gains in segment sales and profits, said the analyst, who added that “LKQ has turned into a cash flow-generating machine.”
According to Insider Monkey’s data, 32 hedge funds were long LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ:LKQ) at the end of September 2022, compared to 31 funds in the earlier quarter. ValueAct Capital is the leading stakeholder of the company, with 12.5 million shares worth $592 million.
Bonsai Partners mentioned LKQ Corporation (NASDAQ: LKQ) in its first-quarter 2021 investor letter. Here’s what they said:
“LKQ is the largest provider of alternative collision and mechanical automotive parts in the United States. In Europe, they are the leading distributor of general automotive maintenance parts and supplies. Its shares appreciated 20.1% during the quarter.
During the quarter, LKQ shared its fourth-quarter results: showing a slight revenue decline and a nearly 30% increase in quarterly profit Vs. the same period last year. COVID has proved a surprising catalyst for my investment thesis which revolves around optimizing their recent large acquisitions that were never efficiently integrated.
Admittedly, in addition to LKQ’s quarterly performance, thematically, there has been broad enthusiasm for “re-opening” trades, of which, LKQ has been a beneficiary. Most importantly, the prior overhang related to LKQ’s debt burden is now all but behind us. Their net debt to EBITDA ratio now sits below 2x, a stark change from the near 3x leverage ratio before the pandemic. At that time, LKQ’s leverage had the potential to spiral upward to nearly 4-5x if the business experienced a prolonged shutdown. It’s good to be past this issue.”
