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LKQ shares plunge
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Junkyard giant LKQ plunges

“We are not where we need to be,” its CEO says.

Giant automotive scrapyard owner LKQ Corp. tumbled in early trading after reporting second-quarter profits that fell short of Wall Street expectations and revising its full-year profit guidance lower.

The company’s CEO, Justin Jude, told analysts he “can’t sugarcoat” the lack of progress the company has made since he took over roughly a year ago, adding, “We are not where we need to be.”

Earnings per share of $0.87 fell about 6% short of Wall Street’s expectation for $0.92. Sales of $3.64 billion slightly topped expectations for $3.62 billion.

The stock’s roughly 20% tumble worsened ongoing underperformance of the shares, which are now down more than 25% over the last 12 months, compared to a roughly 17% gain for the S&P 500.

Part of the challenge the company faces is that sky-high US auto insurance prices are prompting drivers to live with the dents and scrapes from fender benders and other mishaps, rather than file insurance claims that would raise already high premiums.

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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