LKQ vs LOW vs KMX Stock Comparison

Lkq, Lowes Companies and Carmax Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LKQ Lkq Corp
$17.42 -25.7% 1M -43.1% 1Y
Market cap
$4.38B
P/E
9.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$13.69B
Div. yield
–
Consumer Goods Distributors Consumer Discretionary
3 wins
LOW Lowes Companies Inc
$198.69 +3.8% 1M -18.5% 1Y
Market cap
$110.87B
P/E
16.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$90.43B
Div. yield
0.02%
Home Improvement Retail Consumer Discretionary
7 wins
KMX Carmax Inc
$51.55 -10.3% 1M +19.6% 1Y
Market cap
$7.44B
P/E
25.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$27.63B
Div. yield
–
Auto Dealerships Consumer Discretionary
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Lowes Companies leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Lowes Companies 7, Lkq 3, Carmax 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionLKQLOWKMXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.38B $110.87B $7.44B LOW
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 9.5x 16.7x 25.5x LKQ
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 6.9x 15.6x 16.8x LKQ
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +1.3% +8.2% +4.8% LOW
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.4% 7.3% 1.1% LOW
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.3% 26.5% 1.1% LOW
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.8x 2.7x 20.4x LOW
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -43.1% -18.5% +19.6% KMX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -20.9%/yr -2.8%/yr -18.5%/yr LOW
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 44.1% 28.3% 54.7% LOW
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 60/100 47/100 49/100 LKQ

Percentile Scorecard

LKQLOWKMX

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisLKQLOWKMX
Valuation 85 #16 of 104 49 #54 of 104 69 #33 of 104
Growth 11 #88 of 99 40 #60 of 99 41 #59 of 99
Profitability 62 #38 of 99 87 #14 of 99 34 #66 of 99
Financial Health 47 #60 of 113 24 #86 of 113 21 #89 of 113
Shareholder Returns 92 #7 of 73 38 #46 of 73 78 #17 of 73
Overall 60 47 49
  • LKQ ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • LOW ranked among 115 companies in Retail
  • KMX ranked among 115 companies in Retail

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodLKQLOWKMXSPY
1 month -25.7%+3.8%-10.3% -1.0%
3 months -32.5%-4.3%-11.6% +2.9%
6 months -44.9%-18.7%+34.7% +6.4%
Year to date -42.3%-17.6%+33.4% +11.4%
1 year -43.1%-18.5%+19.6% +13.1%
3 years -63.1%+6.7%-16.9% +79.4%
3 years, per year -28.3%+2.2%-6.0% +21.5%
5 years -69.1%-13.1%-64.1% +67.7%
5 years, per year -20.9%-2.8%-18.5% +10.9%
10 years -47.0%+181.2%+3.0% +255.2%
10 years, per year -6.2%+10.9%+0.3% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureLKQLOWKMXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 44.1%28.3%54.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 53.2%27.1%65.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.620.601.24 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.98-0.650.36 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -71.0%-37.6%-80.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -49.9%-30.9%-19.7% -2.5%
52-week high $34.80$287.39$64.22 $779.14
52-week low $17.42$179.47$30.88 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleLKQLOWKMX
P/E now vs peer median 9.6xmedian 16.7x 16.7xmedian 16.7x 25.0xmedian 16.7x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 0.5x 1.2xmedian 0.5x 0.3xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 6.3xmedian 9.1x 11.4xmedian 9.1x 30.0xmedian 9.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 7.1xmedian 16.6x 15.9xmedian 16.6x 6.4xmedian 16.6x
P/B now vs peer median 0.7xmedian 1.7x -15.0xmedian 1.7x 1.2xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median -0.44median 0.73 3.55median 0.73 -2.42median 0.73

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsLKQLOWKMX
Revenue $13.69B $90.43B $27.63B
Gross profit $5.25B $29.92B $2.85B
Operating income $869.00M $10.29B $392.76M
Net income $461.00M $6.64B $292.45M
Free cash flow $625.00M $7.00B $1.15B
EPS (diluted) $1.81 $11.86 $2.05
Cash & equivalents $301.00M $3.17B $170.53M
Total debt $3.93B $150.16B $15.71B
Shares (diluted) 254.70M 560.00M 142.45M
Enterprise value $3.14B $103.83B $6.81B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricLKQLOWKMX
P/E 9.6x 16.7x 25.0x
P/FCF 7.1x 15.9x 6.4x
P/Operating cash flow 5.4x 12.0x 4.6x
P/S 0.3x 1.2x 0.3x
P/B 0.7x -15.0x 1.2x
P/Tangible book 0.8x -8.5x 1.2x
EV/EBITDA 6.3x 11.4x 30.0x
EV/EBIT 9.3x 14.1x 58.2x
EV/Revenue 0.6x 1.6x 0.8x
EV/FCF 12.9x 20.8x 19.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 9.8x 15.7x 14.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.44 3.55 -2.42

Growth

14 metrics
MetricLKQLOWKMX
Revenue growth (1Y) 1.3% 8.2% 4.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.0% -1.0% 0.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -0.5% 6.9% -3.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -0.2% -1.2% 1.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) -22.7% -0.4% -23.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -15.2% 1.6% 0.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -35.2% -3.1% -43.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -23.0% 3.2% -13.6%
EPS growth (1Y) -34.2% -3.1% -41.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -21.6% 4.7% -10.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -13.0% -5.7% 32.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -12.1% 2.7% 29.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -7.5% -8.9% 67.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -13.2% 1.8% 53.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricLKQLOWKMX
Gross margin 38.3% 33.1% 10.3%
EBITDA margin 9.4% 14.1% 2.8%
Operating margin 6.3% 11.4% 1.4%
Pretax margin 4.9% 9.7% 1.6%
Net margin 3.4% 7.3% 1.1%
FCF margin 4.6% 7.7% 4.1%
Operating cash flow margin 6.0% 10.2% 5.8%
Return on equity 7.1% – 4.7%
Return on assets 3.1% 12.0% 1.1%
Return on invested capital 6.3% 26.5% 1.1%
Return on capital employed 7.4% 30.0% 1.6%
Asset turnover 0.9x 1.6x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.8x 1.4x 5.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.3% 0.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricLKQLOWKMX
Debt / assets 26.2% 67.2% 60.3%
Debt / equity 0.6x -5.0x 2.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.8x 2.7x 20.4x
Debt / FCF 6.3x 5.4x 13.7x
Liabilities / assets 56.9% 113.3% 75.8%
Equity / assets 43.1% -13.3% 24.2%
Interest coverage 4.0x – 3.3x
Current ratio 1.6x 1.1x 2.3x
Quick ratio 0.5x 0.2x 0.2x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 2.31 3.12 1.70

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricLKQLOWKMX
Dividend yield 6.9% 2.5% –
Net buyback yield 3.0% 0.3% 3.6%
Shareholder yield 9.9% 2.7% 3.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 40.5% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 38.5% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 1.6% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusLKQLOWKMX
Forward P/E 6.9xFY2026 15.6xFY2026 16.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.52FY2026 $12.72FY2026 $3.06FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -16.3%FY2026 +3.5%FY2026 +5.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +18.7% -4.7% +21.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $12.81BFY2026 $85.87BFY2026 $29.97BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -6.1%FY2026 -0.5%FY2026 +15.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.7% +14.2% +0.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersLKQLOWKMX
Held by institutions 100.0% 79.5% 100.0%
Institutions holding 533 2,652 557
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.5% +2.6% -2.9%
Institutions buying 263 1,070 232
Institutions selling 214 1,189 251
Buyers to sellers 1.23 0.90 0.92

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

LKQLOWKMX
LKQ 1.00 0.51 0.33
LOW 0.51 1.00 0.34
KMX 0.33 0.34 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, LKQ, LOW and KMX?

Lowes Companies (LOW) is the largest by market capitalisation: Lkq (LKQ) $4.38B, Lowes Companies (LOW) $110.87B, Carmax (KMX) $7.44B.

Which stock is cheaper, LKQ, LOW and KMX?

Lkq (LKQ) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Lkq (LKQ) 9.5x, Lowes Companies (LOW) 16.7x, Carmax (KMX) 25.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Lkq (LKQ) is cheapest (Lkq (LKQ) 6.9x, Lowes Companies (LOW) 15.6x, Carmax (KMX) 16.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Lowes Companies (LOW) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Lkq (LKQ) +1.3%, Lowes Companies (LOW) +8.2%, Carmax (KMX) +4.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Lowes Companies (LOW) has the highest net margin (Lkq (LKQ) 3.4%, Lowes Companies (LOW) 7.3%, Carmax (KMX) 1.1%). On return on invested capital, Lowes Companies (LOW) leads (Lkq (LKQ) 6.3%, Lowes Companies (LOW) 26.5%, Carmax (KMX) 1.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Carmax (KMX) returned the most: Lkq (LKQ) -43.1%, Lowes Companies (LOW) -18.5%, Carmax (KMX) +19.6%. Over five years, Lowes Companies (LOW) compounded fastest (Lkq (LKQ) -20.9%/yr, Lowes Companies (LOW) -2.8%/yr, Carmax (KMX) -18.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Lkq (LKQ) 0.00%, Lowes Companies (LOW) 0.02%, Carmax (KMX) 0.00%. Lkq (LKQ) and Carmax (KMX) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Lowes Companies (LOW) has been the steadiest (Lkq (LKQ) 44.1%, Lowes Companies (LOW) 28.3%, Carmax (KMX) 54.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, LKQ, LOW and KMX?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Lowes Companies (LOW) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.