LKQ
LKQ Corporation
LKQ's fundamentals are weak and it looks expensive: trading at 20x earnings, above its usual 14x. Its downside scenario is about seven times its upside.
LKQ Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Stable | |
| Strong |
LKQ's balance sheet is currently strong, and its revenue, profitability and cash flow are stable.
LKQ PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 9.2x | $19.71 | — |
| Cheap | 13x | $12.47 | -37% |
| Fair | 14x | $13.82 | -30% |
| Expensive | 18x | $17.41 | -12% |
| Current | 20x | $19.71 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
LKQ's PE is in its expensive range at 20x. On analysts' estimates for next year's earnings, today's price would be 9.2x, in its cheap range.
LKQ Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Decline | |
| Stable | |
| Weakening | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect LKQ's earnings and profitability to decline, with its revenue holding steady. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
LKQ Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $2.15 | +117% |
| Q3 2026 | $0.99 | -63% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.79 | -34% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.01 | -25% |
| Q4 2025 | $2.35 | -10% |
| Q3 2025 | $2.70 | +1.1% |
| Q2 2025 | $2.73 | +0.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $2.68 | -13% |
| Q4 2024 | $2.62 | -25% |
LKQ's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $0.99 over the past year, against $4.21 in mid-2022.
LKQ Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.3B | -5.1% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.4B | -6.4% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.5B | +0.2% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.3B | -1.3% |
| Q3 2025 | $3.5B | -2.4% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.6B | -1.9% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.5B | -6.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $3.4B | -4.1% |
LKQ's revenue grew through 2021 and has held roughly level since: $3.3B last quarter, down 5.1% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 1.6% | -6.2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 6.6% | -2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 6.3% | -2 points |
| Q4 2025 | 4.6% | -3.5 points |
| Q3 2025 | 7.8% | -0.8 points |
| Q2 2025 | 8.6% | -0.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 8.3% | +0.5 points |
| Q4 2024 | 8.1% | +0.2 points |
LKQ's operating margin was 1.6% last quarter, down 6.2 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the bottom of its range since 2019.
LKQ Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $372M | -3.9% |
| Q2 2026 | $60M | -75% |
| Q1 2026 | -$96M | -$39M |
| Q4 2025 | $274M | +84% |
| Q3 2025 | $387M | +13% |
| Q2 2025 | $243M | +83% |
| Q1 2025 | -$57M | -130% |
| Q4 2024 | $149M | +71% |
LKQ still generates free cash flow, though less than at its 2020 peak: $610M over the past year.
LKQ Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.7% | -1.8M shares |
| 1 year | -1.7% | -4.4M shares |
| 3 years | -5.8% | -15.5M shares |
| 5 years | -14% | -42M shares |
| Available history | -19% | -58.1M shares |
LKQ has 253M diluted shares, down 1.7% from a year ago, with $123M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $30M |
| Q2 2026 | $52M |
| Q1 2026 | $1M |
| Q4 2025 | $40M |
| Q3 2025 | $40M |
| Q2 2025 | $39M |
| Q1 2025 | $40M |
| Q4 2024 | $80M |
LKQ spent $123M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 38% from the year before.
LKQ Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.3x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2025 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2024 | -0.2x | Net Cash |
LKQ has more cash than debt.
LKQ Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 36.1 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 26.9 | Neutral |
LKQ's weekly RSI is 36 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 27 (neutral).
LKQ PE vs Consumer Cyclical Sector
| Metric | LKQ | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 20x | 18x | 11% above |
| PE % | 91 | 47 | 44 pts above |
LKQ is trading at 20x earnings, a 11% premium to the Consumer Cyclical sector's median of 18x.
LKQ Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $20.7 | 5% below |
| 20 week MA | $23.3 | 15% below |
| 50 week MA | $27.3 | 28% below |
| 100 week MA | $31.7 | 38% below |
| 200 week MA | $40.0 | 51% below |
LKQ is in a downtrend: it's below all five of its weekly moving averages, and 51% below its 200-week average.
LKQ Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $35.9 | $36.3 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | $36.3 | $57.7 | +59% |
| 2022 | $57.7 | $53.6 | -7.1% |
| 2023 | $53.6 | $47.8 | -11% |
| 2024 | $47.8 | $36.9 | -23% |
| 2025 | $36.9 | $30.6 | -17% |
| 2026 YTD | $30.6 | $19.7 | -36% |
LKQ has finished four years in a row lower, and it's down 36% so far in 2026.